Retired Gen. Wesley Clark stepped on a proverbial land mine a few days ago when he “ridiculed” Sen. John McCain’s medal-winning military service.

He set off an international tizzy and probably torpedoed his shot at the vice presidency when he said McCain’s wartime experience as a Navy pilot and his command of an air squadron in peacetime do not provide him with experience needed to become president.

The following quote is the one that caused the biggest stir: “I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.”

Clark, of course, is correct. Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it say anything about pilots, planes or POWs. All that is required for one to be a U.S. presidential candidate is to be a natural-born citizen who is at least 35 and has lived here for at least 14 years.

Despite their veracity, Clark’s remarks about McCain have drawn plenty of vitriolic responses, including this from Fox News contributor Karl Rove:

“... this was an outrageous comment by General Clark, who knows better than this. Shame on him, this smear, this libel ... This was beyond the pale.”

Are you kidding me? How can a reasonable person consider Clark’s factual comments a smear?

McCain’s service to his country in Vietnam is more than admirable and strengthens his presidential resume considerably. Considered alone, however, it shouldn’t give him a free pass to the Oval Office.

Following Rove’s logic, I suppose anyone who has valiantly endured misfortune should land a job in the federal government.

If that’s the case, I hope the next president will consider my wife for an important post. She recently wrecked a Honda SUV in an automated car wash, so that ought to make her a worthy choice to become the U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Heck, why can’t my entire family and I land cushy government jobs?

In 1982, I survived six weeks of ROTC training camp at McConnell AFB, Kan. Doesn’t that make me a viable prospect for secretary of defense?

My 18-year-old daughter probably isn’t 5 feet tall, so why not make her a U.S. envoy to the world’s pygmy population?

My academically challenged 15-year-old son probably thinks Liechtenstein is an oral disease, so he might make a good surgeon general. I doubt he could do any worse than the Clinton administration’s Jocelyn Elders.

The Clark brouhaha is the latest example of the unfortunate levels presidential campaigns stoop to launch unfounded attacks and counter-offensives. Genuine debate on matters of great importance always gets muffled by inane static. It almost seems as if McCain and Sen. Barack Obama are running for class president instead of the chance to lead the free world.