Obama and Iraq, Military, and Clinton

“No doubt in my mind he can probably milk a cow but his body of experience means he probably doesn’t know how to milk one. … When I look across the aisle at Sen. Obama, other than a great speech, I really do not see the same body of experience to deal with that issue. I see a statement that says I have a great staff that can advise me. I think you need a great body of experience to deal with the recommendations your staff is bringing to you.” – Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard Clinton Surrogate: Obama Can’t Milk The Iraq War Cow

Today, Clinton had a second military call with Gen. Wesley Clark, Lt. Gen.
Joe Ballard and Vice Admiral Joe Sestak.

“Senator Clinton is one tough woman.” – Vice Admiral Joe Sestak

Confercence
Call on Obama, Iraq, Military & Clinton

(with Gen. Wesley Clark, Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard and Vice Admiral
Joe Sestak)

Subjects on the call included Andrea Mitchell’s question about the notion of Obama being Clinton’s veep. How can Clinton say he’s not prepared as commander-in-chief, then say he could be her vice president? Wes Clark and Joe Sestak, who has been on my show before, were especially eloquent today, with Joe Ballard adding bluntness that was refreshing. On Iraq, Clark was particularly vocal, as was Sestak.

But as for the word “toughness,” it is not something that currently describes Senator Obama. Many may not like me saying that, but it’s true and it worries me thinking about the general election. I also don’t think it’s destructive to talk about. No one should be so naive as to think Republicans aren’t thinking this before a Democrat speaks it. Having great respect for the Obama team, they also have to know this is a tough hurdle their candidate still has to cross. If Ohio and Texas told us anything, that was the message.

So following Clinton’s lead, Obama is having a call with “military brass”
today. There are three impressive people on the call: former service secretaries
for each of the Armed Forces – Clifford Alexander, Jr. (US Army), Richard Danzig
(US Navy), and F. Whitten Peters (US Air Force).

No doubt, Obama has military support, and this tit for tat is annoying. Unfortunately,
when two people are vying for commander-in-chief, neither of whom have military
experience, and are going against a war hero like John McCain, the support of
the military establishment isn’t a small matter.

As an aside, the “experience” meter for me is also a bit tough to
take. When vying for the presidency, what exactly does “experience”
mean until you’re in the job? Part of it comes from your body of work. As for
Senator Obama, it disturbs me that his Illinois legislature records have disappeared,
because in the U.S. Senate he has not done anything of note. On Iraq alone, he has been absent. He ducked out on Kyl-Lieberman, and on the foreign relations committee he was to chair he didn’t even hold a single hearing. Not exactly the work ethic that inspires me. As for Clinton,
she’s been in many a fight for legislation and on the firing line many times,
including in the 90s on health care. Being first lady isn’t a commander-in-chief credential, but what she’s withstood over 16 years of scrutiny and attacks from the right-wing is impressive, especially since she got elected and won over New Yorkers, including upstate New York, while doing it. She even reached across the aisle to work with her husband’s impeachment proponents. In addition, standing up in Bejing wasn’t a small matter
either. But in the end for both of these fine Democrats, the support of people
like military brass matters, especially looking into the abyss of what George
W. Bush will leave behind. The company they keep criteria, if you will.

Clinton’s support is far deeper and wider and the list of military brass is much,
longer, and on
one call alone she had eighteen flag officers promoting her commander-in-chief
bona fides:

General Wesley Clark Admiral William Owens General Johnnie E. Wilson Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard Lt. Gen. Claudia J. Kennedy Vice Admiral Joseph A. Sestak Lt. Gen. Frederick E. Vollrath Major General George A. Buskirk, Jr. Major General Paul D. Eaton Rear Admiral Stuart Platt Rear Admiral David Stone Major General Antonio M. Taguba Brigadier General Michael Dunn Brigadier General Evelyn “Pat” Foote Brigadier General John M. Watkins, Jr. Brigadier General Jack Yeager Former Secretary of the Army and Veterans Affairs Togo West Former Secretary of the Navy, John Dalton

A further list
(though no longer definitive) is below (some duplicate names from
above appear), coming from Veterans Day, 2007:

National Co-Chairs are: General Wesley Clark, Ret., Four Star General, Supreme Allied Commander, NATO Lt. General Joseph Ballard, Ret., Three Star General, Chief of Engineers and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. General Robert Gard, Ret., Three Star General, President Emeritus of the Monterey Institute for International Studies. Lt. General Donald Kerrick, Ret., Three Star General, Deputy National Security Advisor, Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. General Frederick Vollrath, Ret., Three Star General, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters Department of the Army Major General Roger Blunt, Ret., Two Star General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Last Command: 97th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM), Ft. Meade Chairman, President, & CEO of Blunt Enterprises, LLC Major General Edward L. Correa Jr., Ret., Two Star General, Adjutant General of Hawaii Major General Paul Eaton, Ret., Two Star General, Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, Commanding General Rear Admiral Connie Mariano, MD, Ret., Two Star Rear Admiral, Navy White House Physician for three Presidents Major General Paul D. Monroe, Jr., Ret., Two Star General, Adjutant General California National Guard Major General Robert Scales, Ret., Two Star General, President and CEO of Walden University, Commandant of the United States Army War College, Rear Admiral Alan Steinman, M.D., Ret., Two Star Coast Guard Admiral, Past Director of Health and Safety of the Coast Guard Rear Admiral David Stone, Ret., Two Star Rear Admiral, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for the Transportation Security Administration President & CEO, Alacrity Homeland Group Brigadier General Michael Dunn, Ret., One Star General, Clinical leader of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Interoperability Project. Commanded the Walter Reed Health Care System in Washington, DC Brigadier General Belisario Flores, Ret., Assistant Adjutant General, Texas Air National Guard, Brigadier General Evelyn “Pat” Foote, Ret., One Star General Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, Ret., One Star General, Commanding General, Northern Area Command, California National Guard Brigadier General Virgil Richard, Ret., One Star General, Recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal Brigadier General Preston Taylor, Ret., One Star General, Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training Brigadier General Dr. Jack Yeager, Ret., One Star General, Assistant Adjutant General of West Virginia Honorable Anthony Brown, Veteran, Maryland Lt. Governor, Past member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Served with distinction in Baghdad, Fallujah, Kirkuk and Basra, Iraq. Honorable Harold Naughton, Massachusetts State House Representative, Veteran, US Army Reserves, JAG, 8 months in Multinational Force Iraq Honorable Steven Hobbs, Washington State Senator, Veteran, Tours of duty in Iraq and Kosovo with the US Army and Army National Guard Mr. Roscoe Brown, Veteran, Tuskegee Airman, WWII Honorable Louis Caldera, Veteran, Secretary of the Army, President of University of New Mexico Honorable Edward Chow, Jr., Veteran, Past Vice President of Vietnam Veterans of America, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Veterans Administration Honorable Jimmy Dean, Veteran, Past National Commander of the American Legion Honorable Ron Dellums, Mayor of Oakland, CA, Former Chair of the House Armed Services Committee Honorable Herschel Gober, Veteran, Acting Secretary & Deputy Secretary, Veterans Affairs Honorable Steven Honigman, Veteran, Navy Retired, Former Naval General Counsel (Iraq) Mr. Thomas Keefe, Veteran, President of The Keefe Group, Nationally known Veterans Advocate Honorable Robert Jones, Veteran, Deputy Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs Honorable Robert Perreault, Director, Medical Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Joseph “Jake” Simmons IV, Veteran, Commander, White House Communications Agency Honorable Todd Weiler, Veteran, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs They Join Current National Co-Chairs: U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Veteran, World War II Combat Veteran, Recipient: Medal of Honor U.S. Congressman Charlie Rangel, Veteran, US Army, 1948-52 U.S. Congressman Joe Sestak, Veteran, Retired US Navy Admiral, Commanded Aircraft Carrier Battle Group, Afghanistan U.S. Congressman Ed Towns, Veteran, US Army, 1956-58 U.S. Congressman Jose Serrano, Veteran, US Army, 1964-66 U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey, Veteran, US Navy 1956-59 Honorable Togo West, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of the Army, North Carolina Native Lt. General Claudia Kennedy, Ret., Three Star General, First Woman in the U.S. Army to Hold a Three Star Rank, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence General George Buskirk, Ret., Adjutant General, Indiana Army and Air National Guard, Honorable Eleanor Glynn Kjellman, New Hampshire State House Representative, Veteran, US Air Force Officer, Son served in Iraq Mr. Joe Wynn, Veteran, US Air Force, Viet Nam, Leader of the National Association of Black Veterans, President, Vets Group Mr. Bill White, President, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Nationally Known Veterans Advocate