Urban Thought Collective

The Fourth of July is a day our nation cherishes. None of us should take our freedom for granted, or the fact that brave soldiers like Crispus Attucks, a black man who was the first martyr in the American Revolution, lost their lives for a greater cause. We should respect the men and women who are stationed in military bases around the world defending our freedom.

Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark created a national firestorm of controversy this week when he stated that Sen. John McCain getting shot down is not a qualification for the presidency. Clark said McCain’s experience as a squadron leader in Vietnam and his five years in a prisoner of war camp “shows character and courage, but not necessarily judgment.”

“I hope the American people will discriminate between someone’s early experiences and the kind of judgment they take away from those experiences,” Clark said.

I personally don’t believe that Gen. Clark was attempting to diminish Sen. McCain’s bravery or war record. He was just stating what I believe was an obvious fact. I went to high school for four years, but that didn’t qualify me to be the principal or a teacher there. I played football and ran track, but that didn’t qualify me to be a coach. I ate in the cafeteria twice a day, but that didn’t qualify me to be a cook.

I write and submit this weekly blog, but as I told Ava DuVernay, the founder of UTC, and Ellene Miles, my editor and blog mate, I’m not a writer or an author. So, it’s not as if I have the qualifications that writers or more seasoned veteran journalists have, but they have allowed me to let me have and find my voice. My point is, just because you’re able to do or experience something in life does not make you qualified for something else.

Clark, who was the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces during the Kosovo War and a one time Democratic presidential candidate, told “Good Morning America” that he wasn’t questioning McCain’s patriotism or courage.

But he repeated the comments that have already been rejected by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Clark described himself as “someone who came home from Vietnam on a stretcher.” Still, he acknowledged that being in combat doesn’t necessarily qualify someone to be president. “It depends on which level you served,” Clark told “GMA.”

Being a fighter pilot in the Navy “isn’t the same as having been in the highest levels of the military and having to work with the president and other heads of the state and make those kinds of life or death decisions about national strategic issues,” he stated.

I understand the reasons why Obama (who is leading this historic race) had to publicly reject and distance himself from Clark’s comments. He doesn’t want to create the appearance that he does not honor and respect McCain’s war record and sacrifice for our country.

I’m not running for president, so I don’t have to be politically correct. I believe Clark’s point was valid and to the point. We should judge the candidates based on their domestic and foreign policy positions, and respect the service, sacrifice, and patriotism of all Americans.

Najee Ali is Executive Director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E, a national civil rights organization that advocates for the human rights of oppressed people regardless of race, gender or religion. He was selected by Wave Newspapers and Our Weekly Newspaper as one of the 25 most influential black leaders in Los Angeles. More information is available at: www.islamichope.org.