John McCain’s team is careful to remind anyone who will ask that General Clark’s mega-faux pas is not the first time Obama surrogates have insulted his war service. McCain takes the semi-high ground, shifting to issues but definitely not excusing Clark or those who preceded him in slurring McCain’s record. But his team is not leaving it alone: it’s become a media feeding frenzy. Interestingly, Obama takes the opportunity to disparage–albeit ever so passively and without identifying the organization–MoveOn.org’s “Betray-Us” ad. (Although when the chips were down and the netroots were critical to his primary effort he couldn’t manage to pipe up or even show up for the vote.)

I don’t doubt that it is possible that Clark– never known for discretion or interpersonal skills–was freelancing when he went after McCain. After all, the flap entirely crushed Obama’s patriotism message. But the question remains why the issue keeps popping up. Is this a peek at the warped thinking of the Left which has invested its hopes in Obama?

If you take the absolutely most charitable version of events — that Clark in no way represents Obama’s thinking or strategy — one is left to conclude that the Obama campaign’s messaging and choice of representatives is atrocious. And that’s the best you can say.