The Wes Clark episode, predicted in advance by dday over at Digby’s place, is one more example of why I’m not a Democrat. I don’t like weakness.

dday follows it up with a nice, polite, “I told you so” post.

For those just joining in, you can watch the video causing all the noise for yourself. Basically all Clark said was, “I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President.” Which by any rational standards is objectively true. To accept otherwise would be to say anyone who was ever a POW is Presidential material.

Reaction ranges from incredulous to absurd.

John Cole is incredulous about Andrew Sullivan’s absurdity, if you want a quick overview.

Joe Klein, laughingly predictably, joins in on the side of the Village Idiots, the Washington Corporate insiders who pay Joe. It’s a veritable Roman orgy of circular fellatio. Joe has never met a Corporate narrative he couldn’t parrot.

It is SO depressing. All of it. But especially the Corporate Media’s almost bloodthirsty reaction when the realization hit them they could boost their own ratings for the day. You know what? This normally rapt viewer of political shows is going to skip it tonight.

And as for Obama’s response? Weak and lame. He lost my financial support by his willingness to give Telecom Man immunity from vast Constitutional violations, and now he “rejects” Clark’s comment.

What Obama should have said was very, very simple: “I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Are we trying to say that everyone who was ever a POW is qualified to be President? Or are you just trying to make a fight out of nothing disrespectful or false in the slightest?”

As Atrios says, it’s just all so predictable.

It’s also a bit infuriating.

Update: John Cole has a theory I think is a good one.

I can’t stop fixating on this. Somehow, it encapsulates everything wrong with this country all at once. And it precisely encapsulates what is wrong with our professional media.

Update: Perhaps even better, Obama could have said, “Did you watch the whole tape? You can do it easily. Judge for yourself. Next question.”