Democrats, Democrats, do it up brown: Boston talk radio host Jay Severin calls him General Wesley Gump. You do have to wonder what sort of ambition would make a decorated four-star general lend his military honor as cover for an anti-war movement that wants America to lose in the world.

Already the comparisons are being made to the general who carried the Democratic banner against Lincoln in the Civil War election of 1864. Rick Brookhiser writes at The Corner: Wesley Clark is George McClellan--proud, smart, by the book, untalented, incompetent. All stars, no battles.

Victor Davis Hanson at NRO recalls 1864: Copperheads turned to the diminutive, dapper, and glib failed general, George McClellan, who was willing to throw in the towel and accept a brokered stalemate. Lincoln, who had done so much to prevent war, was castigated as a warmonger with the blood of thousands of his hands. And this was in his fourth, not his first, summer of bloody fighting. But Lincoln, writes Hanson, did not listen to gabby George McClellan — or consider the Copperheads anything other than defeatists whose enticing policy of appeasement would only postpone but not end the killing.

Historical background on the Copperheads, the spiritual ancestors of today's anti-war Democrats, may be found here and here and here.

The Parlor Songs site features a campaign song purportedly composed by Stephen Foster for McClellan, "Little Mac! Little Mac! You're the Very Man!" How about these lyrics?

Dem-o-crats, Dem-o-crats, do it up brown
Lin-coln and his Nig-ger heads won't go down
Gree-ley and Sum-mer and all that crew,
We must beat Lin-coln and John-son too.

Note the side the accommodationists with slavery were on then. Note the side the appeasers of terrorism are on now.

[A site dedicated to the songs of Stephen Foster questions his authorship of "Little Mac," which may be heard in MIDI version here. The Library of Congress' America Singing collection features a number of McClellan campaign song-sheets. Search here.]

Mark Steyn doesn't think much of the general. Nor does MCJ.

But leave it to Jonah Goldberg to tell why he opposes Clark:

Besides the fact that the Clinton mafia is mysteriously supporting him (If they think he can win, then you'd think Hillary wouldn't want him to run since a Clark Presidency would ruin her chances to be president) I'm opposed to Wes Clark running for President because he is the only Democrat it's hard to make fun of. It's hard not to make fun of Sharpton, Kucinich, and Braun. Lieberman looks like a rodeo clown who hasn't had his foundation make-up removed yet. Edwards is a trial lawyer who would still be a trial lawyer if he looked like Kucinich. I think I've said this before, but Dean's the sort of arrogant liberal who yells at you for buying the wrong book at his used book store. John Kerry looks like some suction-cup-fingered demon sucked-out his soul through his temples. Graham thinks he's doing history some great favor by recording his bowel movements on notepads.