Not Your Sweetie

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4685593 /
SCARBOROUGH:  I want to play you something that Secretary of State Colin Powell said today regarding Ted Kennedy.
Actually, I‘ll just quote it for you.  He said: “Senator Kennedy should be a little more careful and a little more restrained in his comments because we‘re a nation at war.”
And, of course, he was referencing the Vietnam quote, where he compared Iraq to Vietnam.  I wanted to ask you, because there are a lot of Americans out there that are going to saying, gee, this is exactly what happened during Vietnam.  You had American troops on the ground.  You had politicians back at home saying things that seemed to play into our enemies‘ hands.  I know Senator Ted Kennedy.  I know his family.  I‘m not saying here—saying that he‘s un-American.  I‘m not saying that he doesn‘t want America to succeed. 
But can‘t you agree with me as somebody that had to hear politicians in America shoot their mouth off while you were fighting the war over there that that was irresponsible for him to say yesterday, and he may have been playing into some of these people‘s hands? 
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK:  No.  No, I don‘t think so, Joe. 
I think the men and women in the armed forces, I hope they understand they‘re fighting for our freedom and our rights.  And the Iraq war and the president‘s conduct of foreign policy is a legitimate political issue.  He‘s running for reelection.  He wants the American people to endorse him and his judgment.  Well, he took us to a war we didn‘t really have to fight without our allies, without enough troops on the ground, without any plan for what we‘re going to do after we got to Baghdad. 
Look at what‘s happening now.  Of course, it‘s a legitimate political issue.  That‘s no disrespect to the men and women in uniform.  They‘ve done a brilliant job.  I‘ve know most of the generals over there.  I love them.  I‘ve served with them.  I know a lot of the soldiers.  I hear from them periodically.  They believe in the mission.  And we want them to. 
But that‘s the military side.  This country and every citizen has a responsibility to participate at least by voting in the political process.  And the judgment of the president of the United States is one of the issues in this election, and Ted Kennedy is fully within his rights.  He‘s not giving aid and comfort to the enemy.  He‘s calling it like he sees it, and he‘s a patriot.