From reading Kaplan's stuff for several years now, it's quite clear he knows a lot about everything but generally can't figure out anything.

First of all, in a presidential campaign that now is, in fact, a half a billion dollar investment/gamble and the prize for which is literally untold billions in the pockets of insiders, nothing said by those acting as surrogates is an accident. Certainly Clark, a retired general, is as disciplined an operative as you can imagine. This was not some school yard insult between infantry and airmen. It was a calculated statement that had several tactical functions.

The first and most important was to signal the McCain camp that old McSongbird (his nickname after having traded military information for better medical treatment when he was captured) is not above being Swiftboated. The GOP made an art of destroying a candidate/veteran's military record. They did it so well that they were able to derail both McCain's 2000 primary run and John Kerry's stand as a decorated combat veteran.

Obama's camp is simply letting McCain's people know that if they keep up with their smear campaign, or play the race card, McCain is going to get his ass Swiftboated. How? Well, the record thus far indicates that McCain traded on his status as the son of an admiral and by giving away military information in exchange for special treatment by the Vietnamese. Interestingly, as part of the deal McCain made with the Vietnamese back when he helped normalize relations, was that all POW records be sealed. Wanna bet that somebody around here just managed to get a copy of McCain's records? If Kerry could be torpedoe'd by allegations that he exaggerated his wounds for undeserved medals, I wonder what a few stray comments by his captors that McCain was being helpful would do to him.

Second, the comments gives Obama another opportunity to play nice guy by distancing himself from the comments. That's just an indirect but concrete way of saying, "Look, I'll play nice if you do."

At this level and at this stage of the game, personalities hardly enter into it.

"...I wonder what a few stray comments by his captors that McCain was being helpful would do to him."

It would only hurt Obama.

I don't buy your take on campaigns being these hyper disciplined, well-oiled, perfectly strategized machines. Campaigns are wildly chaotic affairs, with surrogates popping off in ways that the candidate never wanted them to, unplanned disasters, etc.

It's amazing to me actually, how well disciplined Obama's campaign is, and how well run it's been. Which speaks well of Obama.

But Clark just doesn't understand politics. The man does in fact have a tin ear. I don't think Obama planned it. I just think he set Clark loose, and Clark was making stuff up as he went along.