Admiral Smith: Obama Should Have the Guts to Question McCain's Service Himself

Statement by Admiral Leighton "Snuffy" Smith on Gen. Wesley Clark's Attack on John McCain

ARLINGTON, VA -- Admiral Leighton "Snuffy" Smith, USN (Ret.) today issued the following statement on Gen. Wesley Clark's attack on John McCain's military service record today on CBS' "Face the Nation":

"If Barack Obama wants to question John McCain's service to his country, he should have the guts to do it himself and not hide behind his campaign surrogates. If he expects the American people to believe his pledges about a new kind of politics, Barack Obama has a responsibility to condemn these attacks."

Admiral Leighton "Snuffy" Smith, Jr. retired from the Navy after over 34 years of service in positions that took him, literally, around the world. His last active duty assignment was Commander, U.S. Naval Force, Europe, Commander in Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe (NATO) and, concurrently, Commander of NATO's first ever out of area land operation, the Implementation Forces (IFOR) in Bosnia charged with implementing the Dayton Peace Accords. As a naval aviator Admiral Smith flew carrier-based light attack jet aircraft during multiple deployments to the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Western Pacific and Indian oceans. These included three cruises in waters off North Vietnam where he flew over 280 combat missions.

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McCain's Senate Speech Explaing His Support for the Surge

Now that surge is succeeding, and Iraq is receiving less attention in the media; some may have forgotten what a gutsy decision it was for McCain adamantly back the surge when the idea was so unpopular. This is an audio clip of the speech Senator McCain made on the Senate floor explaining why he felt he had to back the surge even though it clearly threatened his presidential bid.