McPeak Strikes Again

If Senator Obama had an ounce of good judgment, he'd either sit on, or get rid of, former General McPeak. That Senator Obama hasn't done either shows me just how lacking the Senator is in his ability to judge a person's character and abilities. In the latest demonstration of former General McPeak's total lack of class, McPeak told the Washington Times newspaper that he and Senator McCain had been classmates at the National War College in 1973-74, after Senator McCain had just been released from a prisoner of war camp. McPeak said, describing Senator McCain, "He was fresh out of jail, you know. Skinny kid. All beat up of course, physically. But quite thin. They weren't feeding him well in Hanoi. He's done very well at the dinner table in Washington."

Now, I have a problem with former General McPeak describing Senator McCain's experiences as a prisoner of war, one of the most horrendous experiences anyone who serves this Nation can suffer, as being in "jail." Yes, Senator McCain was confined, but to call it being in "jail" seems to me to mock and belittle the horror Senator McCain endured while a prisoner or war; a horror he endured with honor, I might add. It seems to equate being a prisoner of war and being tortured for serving your country with being incarcerated for breaking the law. I don't know how former General McPeak can justify calling Senator McCain's stay in a prisoner of war camp as being in "jail." I don't see belittling honorable service in the name of politics as serving any greater good.

I also have a problem with former General McPeak's personal attacks, like his allusion to Senator McCain being fat. Maybe it's just me, but I'm really tired of candidates, from either party, who personally attack their opponent (or use others to do so) on something other than issues or character. A campaign should be about valid differences in policy. I don't have a problem with a candidate raising questions about their opponent's character or values, but I could care less if a candidate doesn't look like he or she runs a marathon, or could pose for an underwear ad. Snipes about a candidate's looks are petty. Who cares. One of the greatest Presidents this Nation had, Abraham Lincoln, was also one of the most homely. FDR couldn't walk. Several of our Presidents middles strained the buttons on their waistcoats. So what. Could they think? Did they have good judgment? Could they find the right people for the right jobs? What were their positions on the issues impacting their time? It seems to me that these are the pertinent questions by which to judge a candidate, not how they look.

I've said it before, a good measure of a person is in the company they keep. In keeping former General McPeak as a close advisor, Senator Obama's judgment is suspect; at least in my book.