McGovern Says McCain's War Experience Not a Qualification for White House (UPDATED)
By Susan Milligan, Globe staff
WASHINGTON -- He was a pilot in World War II, bombing targets in Europe to stop Hitler. But former Senator and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern says that didn't qualify him to run the country -- and the same goes for GOP presumptive nominee John McCain.
``I don't have any regrets about that,'' the antiwar Democratic stalwart said in a brief interview yesterday on Capitol Hill. ``While bombing is a terrible thing, we smashed Hitler's oil refineries all over Europe.''
``But I don't recall ever saying that experience as a bomber pilot equipped me to be very strong on how to run a war, how to command the armed forces,'' said McGovern, who will turn 86 on July 18.
Retired General Wesley Clark, a onetime candidate for president himself, raised ire when he said recently that McCain's experience in Vietnam -- while laudable -- did not qualify him to be commander-in-chief. While noting that he honored McCain's service -- including his years as a prisoner-of-war -- Clark said late last month that McCain has not held ``executive responsibility,'' and added, ``I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.''
The remarks on CBS's ``Face the Nation'' were immediately derided by McCain's supporters. But McGovern said Clark had it right.
``I think General Clark was misunderstood,'' McGovern said Tuesday evening as he visited the House chamber where he once served. ``He wasn't belittling [McCain] at all.''
UPDATE:
The Republican National Committee today chided the Obama campaign over McGovern's remarks.
"It's extremely disturbing and disappointing that Barack Obama's surrogates continue to attack Senator McCain's heroic military service. John McCain has always put partisanship aside to serve the best interest of the country, something Barack Obama has demonstrated an unwillingness and inability to do," RNC spokeswoman Blair Latoff said in a statement.
McGovern, who remains a fervent anti-hunger activist, was in town to present an award to Representative Jim McGovern [no relation to the former senator] for the Worcester Democrat's own contributions to fighting hunger. The younger McGovern last year lived a week on $3 worth of food a day -- approximately the amount allowed to individuals receiving food stamps -- to underscore the struggle hungry Americans face daily.
Former South Dakota Senator McGovern -- forced to drop his first vice presidential choice, former Missouri Senator Thomas Eagleton, from the 1972 ticket after it was disclosed that Eagleton had received shock treatment therapy -- said his advice to Democratic presumptive nominee Barack Obama is to ``first, do no harm'' when selecting a running-mate.
``Don't pick someone that can hurt you,'' McGovern said, adding that the current trend toward excruciating background checks of vice presidential hopefuls is a good move.
Before then [when Eagleton was picked], there wasn't much of any vetting going on,'' McGovern recalled. Former Alabama Senator John Sparkman, the 1952 Democratic vice presidential nominee, was asked just one question before he was invited to join the ticket with Adlai Stevenson, McGovern said. ``He was just asked, `will you take it?' '' McGovern said. ``That's the way it was then.''
I have to agree with Senator McGovern, General Clark's statement was taken completely wrong by the media, and he was attacked by McCain's surrogates for speaking the truth, being in a war, or even being a POW does not qualify anyone to be President. There is no "school" that prepares any person for the Presidency, some of our best Presidents never served in war or even the military.
I have to be honest here, I served under General Clark at Fort Irwin in the 80s when he was a Colonel, he earned my respect then, when he showed thru his leadership that he cared about the troops under his command and their families, NTC is one of the worst assignments in the United States, they had limited base facilities, and it was 45 miles from Barstow. I then was sent back to NTC when my National Guard unit was activated for the first Gulf War and Brigadier General Clark was then Commander of NTC, he was tasked with preparing the largest contingent of National Guard troops for deployment to the Middle East.
His leadership prepared the 3 combat brigades that were there, he also set up exact replica's of the Iraqi defensive positions and the units spent weeks attacking the positions, so that when the troops on the ground in Saudi Arabia had the best attack plans that had been rehearsed numerous times, before the actual battle took place. Thru his leadership the attack plans were developed and the data was sent to Centcom and General Schwarzkopf, the rest is history. I would be proud to have my son or grand children serve in a military that had leadership like General Clark's, I don't have the same feelings about them serving under Senator Mccains leadership, his "safe shopping trip" last year shows how deceptive he is, and the troops would not have the best leadership available under a President Mccain.
I am an Infantry Staff Sergeant, I served from October 1973 thru September 1982 and then joined the Georgia National Guard, I have been awarded the National Defense Service Medal/twice, the various glad you were here awards, and was awarded an Army Achievement Medal for my performance in Desert Storm, I served on the DMZ in Korea during Operation Paul Bunyan, August 1975 - September 1976.
I might have been a middle ranked NCO but I met many officers during my career, Major Barry McCaffrey, now General Barry Mccaffrey, CSM Frietas I Corp Command sergeant Major, I think I am a pretty good judge of men, and I prefer general Clark over Senator McCain, it's that simple.
Susan call a B-24 bomber a fighter.
And she feels qualified to say anything with reference to any military subject?
She's unqualified and unlike an accountimng report, her report is unqualified.
Now remember, some Dems are out there saying that McCain dropped bombs on people from high altitude and didn't understand what happened when they hit.
Not so. McCain's A-4 Skyhawk was more like a dive bomber, that's why they were easier targets for AAA. McGoverns B-24 was a high altitude bomber and he never saw what McCain got to see up close and personal.
"He was a fighter pilot in World War II,"
``But I don't recall ever saying that experience as a bomber pilot ..."
So which is it; fighter pilot or bomber pilot? (I'll give you a hint - McGovern flew B(for bomber)-24 Liberators.)
Milligan and her editors show why they deserve the moniker incompetent. However, it's appropriate that an incompetent reporter and her equally incompetent editors would generate a report about an incompetent politician like McGovern.
Gee, I guess being a "community organizer" is a higher qualification, eh?
Got to love the left's ability to consistently obscure the truth. Of course McCain's military experience didn't qualify him to be president, although it certainly revealed something about his character. What they do not want to address is; What is Obama's executive experience?
Why would anyone listen to or take advice from this "landslide loser". These old failed farts must be desperate to leave some kind of legacy to make up for their failures. Jimmy Carter is another good example of "please just go away, you had your chance and you failed".
While I supported McGovern back then, and support Obama today, it saddens me that our discourse has dropped to this level. Military service is difficult, often heroic. It does not harm a person's credentials. Neither is it a requirement to serve office. We should be focused on the future and what it will take us to bring our troops home and shore up our failing economy - not this rhetoric.
No one is attacking McCain's military service. But McCain himself said he would not be lectured on foreign policy by someone who had never served in the military, obviously making reference to Obama (and, inadvertantly, Bush/Cheney as well, of course).
What McGovern and Clark are pointing out, correctly in my opinion, is that one has remarkably little to do with the other. Any more than being a good accountant doesn't qualify you to run a major corporation, being a great and heroic soldier doesn't automatically qualify you to be president. It doesn't DISqualify you either, but the fact is that their differing backgrounds do not inherently make McCain the better candidate.
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