Reply #18: No, you proved my point. In fact, your response is not based on what Kerry said about McCain. Clark

[ProSense]

not only said the same thing as Kerry did about McCain's service, but also offered more praise.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voiced on the Senate Armed Services Committee and he has traveled all over the world but he hasn‘t held executive responsibility.

That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded, it wasn‘t a war- time squadron. He hasn‘t been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn‘t seen what it‘s like when diplomats come and say, “I don‘t know if we can get this point through or not. If you want to take the risk, what about your reputation, how do we handle it publicly? He hasn‘t made those -

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CLARK: Well, I honor John McCain‘s characters and I said in the show, he has been one of my heroes for a long time. I like John McCain. He‘s been over to my house and everything. This is about qualifications to be president. That‘s what this is about.

And, by the way, it‘s also a little bit about the nature of American politics today that a comment like this could be taken out of context the way it was and create such a hullabaloo. I think we ought to get back to the campaign.

But I want to make clear where I stand on honoring men and women and I don‘t care what their politics are, honoring men and women who serve our country. And I do.

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ABRAMS: Let me read you from Bill Burton, the Obama campaign spokesperson, “As he said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain‘s service, and of course, he rejects yesterday‘s statement by General Clark.”

CLARK: Well, I agree with Senator Obama. I honor and respect John McCain‘s service as well and I think language of this type is—and this kind of discussion really shouldn‘t be part of the campaign.

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