There is no fury. The fury is at the weak community organizer nominee we have.

I wish we lived in a country where such self-evident truths could be spoken.  But we don't.  Obama actually has a good chance to have his cake and eat it too with this one.  Wesley Clark (widely respected military leader) can pick away at just how relevant McCain's experience is to being President.  It gets out there, people start to think about it and say "you know, maybe he's right".  At the same time Obama can play stand-up guy and distance himself from the remarks.  Then, when the debates roll around in the fall, people will listen to McCain's spiel about his military service and say "what a great American, but does this mean he would be a great President?"  instead of "Oh, there's that Obama.  What does he know about military service, anyhow?"

Politically, this was a no-brainer.  What it says about the present or the future of this country is a little more dicey.

All it suggests to me is that Democrats still haven't quite gotten out of campaign mode.  Can we agree the whole "rebuke and repudiate" thing during the primaries got more than a bit ridiculous?  (with people treating gaffes, misstatements, and even musings about matters which were slightly controversial, as potentially career-ending offenses?).  

I think Clark's comments were borderline (there's general acceptance for the idea that military service demonstrates someone's love of country, that's a qualification for the presidency).  Dems shouldn't be sniping at each other about this, though.

Look, Clark is right on the narrow merits of what he is saying; he is absolutely being factual and honest.

HOWEVER, Obama is not a person by inclination to even appear to be questioning something he reveres (military service) without reservations.

They are coming from very different places to the issue, there is no meeting point on this one.  But since he is the nominee, Gen. Clark should defer to him on how to conduct the campaign.

according to Clark McSAME was not a squadron leader during combat - only in non-combat training

and has thrown clark under the bus!

McCain, whatever else he is or is not, is a war hero for the torture he endured without giving in.  

And 'swiftboating', the act of lying about someone, especially a military hero, for political gain, is viewed badly, even by some of the swiftboaters, believe it or not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/us/pol itics/30swift.html

Regardless of what they thought of Mr. Kerry, many Swift boat veterans objected to the attacks.

"It was unconscionable," said Stan Collier, who served as an officer in charge on a boat based in Qui Nhon. "I thought those boys struck a new low."

Mr. Collier considers himself a conservative and did not agree with Mr. Kerry's politics, but he voted for him to protest the Swift boat campaign. "We've all been attributed to the sleaziness that those guys assigned to Kerry," he said. "I think we've all been demeaned."

Going after McCain in the way that Clark did may well not go down all that well with many veterans.

Granted, McCain was not a squadron commander or higher, but he did serve in a war and knows what that is like.  Not all military men would make a good commander in chief, and not all non-military men would make a bad one.  However, McCain has more military experience than Obama, for sure.

Additionally, it's the usual Rovian tactic to go at a person's strength, and this is McCain's.  Clark & Obama risk having it said they learned at the feet of the master in this case.  Coupled with Obama's claim of a 'new politics', this might, or might not cause a problem.  We can only wait and see.

 However, McCain is no Kerry, and like Obama when Obama had negative stuff thrown at him, has been quick to respond, and to keep responding.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsm emo.com/2008/06/surprise_mccain_camp_kee ps_hit.php

sentence in your diary.  Is that what you meant to say?

IMO, being shot down doesn't qualify you to be president, but all the other things he did are part of the qualification for being Pres to those who think serving your country is important.  McCain is only human, he is not perfect and his character was lacking in some circumstances (his first divorce IMO) and not in others.
He has more experience than Obama in many areas and being wrong on Iraq may be important to you, but to others he was/is right and to still others it doesn't matter weighed against some other considerations.  
You are speaking to the choir here.  But to many other people, Obama's lack of experience is a problem.