Wesley Clark on McCain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpsI-RBTvFg

Here is something I alluded to earlier in some other post somewhere. I agree with General Clark on this. Scheiffer is incredulous, but Clark's argument is a good one. There's a lot of other things Clark could say here, but doesn't, I suspect.

Neal Hefti

The composer of my favorite song when I was 8 years old has died. He also composed the tune "Gotham Municipal Swing Band" which was the theme to "Creature Features" when it debutyed on KTVU in January of 1971 showing "The Horror at Party Beach."


Sigh. There's nothing like that on TV anymore, at least not in the SF Bay Area. There's no local fun anymore.
There's nothing tongue in cheek like "Batman."


Balls.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/14/entertainment/e204936D54.DTL&tsp=1

Yet Another Political Rant

Why is it that Obama doesn't seem substantive? Is it because people who don't really want him to be president have said so?

I can understand someone not being sure if they are positive about him, but if you actually look at what he's done in his professional life, it is quite substantial. He has an enormous amount to offer. He is clearly a thinking individual who knows what he's about, works at undestanding a problem, and has great analytical powers to apply to a solution. What the hell do people want? I keep hearing the comment that he hasn't really made clear what he would do. That's nonsense. He's made it abundantly clear, both in debates and speeches and on his website.

He also has the obvious capacity to lead, to inspire and to manage large group efforts. Someone on the radio this morning said that he has less experience than only 20 other presidents in our history.

As for McCain, I recall Wesley Clark questioning the idea that McCain's Vietnam experience qualifies him to be Commander in Chief, and Bob Scheiffer being incredulous at the thought. However, Clark was right, and if you look at it why would being a POW qualify you except on the basis of knowing what it is to suffer on that level? That's certainly part of it, but nowhere near all of leading a nation's forces at war.

On the economy, McCain makes me think he has no real idea what's happening in a global sense. I don't want another goombah in there who only understands enough to make himself and his pals a profit. His outlook, and his reliance on boilerplate expressions and hoped for zingers to make an impact leave me with my jaw hanging open wondering if we will ever do better than that. Obama brings me back to thinking about things. He has an intellect that he's not worried about displaying. McCain isn't as far down the slope as Bush, but he's also not inspiring at all.

What has come through loud and clear to me in these debates is that McCain is fundamentally a man of the past, the Cold War. His day is come and gone. It's partly his age coming through, but it's also his outlook that leads me to that. There are those who age and grow wiser, and make you believe that the times they live in are of no real consquence to their abilities and vision. McCain ain't one of those for me.

There is something forward looking about Obama, and static or backward looking about McCain. If I were a more deft commentator, I might be able to articulate this. In my late afternoon torpor, that's the best I can come up with. I do not feel safe at the thought of McCain managing foreign relations in a crisis that potentially will turn military. I do not feel safe with McCain having the final say in economic decisions. Social issues under McCain will go backwards or nowhere.

This post was inspired as a comment to a post on What is Hip, but I thought I should just post it here 'cause I rarely do these days,and things have slowed down a bit here in the calabozo known as my office.