I know, Kerry said he misspoke his line. He meant to tell a joke about the President's education (which is silly, given that Bush earned slightly better grades at Yale than Kerry did, and then went on to earn a Harvard MBA) But Kerry's Freudian slip disparaging the troops is consistent with some of his past statements and the overall perception that many people have of him.
Kerry sat down for an interview with the P-I's Joel Connelly in Seattle yesterday.
The narrow loss to Bush in '04 did not end Kerry's White House ambitions.They're terrified of you, Senator. Keep up the fight. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 01, 2006 10:42 AM | Email This"I've been very upfront: I'm thinking about it" for 2008, he said Tuesday.
...
"Obviously [the Bush White House is] looking at me, and listening to me, and are worried at what I'm saying."
40. If it was a joke about Bush and he just neglected to insert the word "us" before "stuck in Iraq", well that makes sense. It's easy enough to misspeak, but why didn't he immediately correct himself. And if not then, why didn't he apologize for misspeaking? That would have defused the whole situation.Besides, that doesn't even make sense as a joke. Think about it, you're speaking to college students trying to motivate them to 'study hard, and get smart' by telling them that if they don't they might end up as President of the US?
(and consequently getting us stuck in Iraq...)
Posted by: JustSumGuy on November 1, 2006 07:27 AM
Couldn't have said it better. Kerry is a moron.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on November 1, 2006 10:50 AMhow many times does the enemy, terrorists or Hamas denigrate its own jihadist "troops" for all the world to hear?
some our "progressive" leaders feel it necessary to assist the enemy, even in small ways. brilliant strategy. that's how a society/organism survives--digesting itself.
for the record: God Bless our Military!
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on November 1, 2006 10:59 AMFor the statement of Steve Beren, Republican candidate running against Jim McDermott, go to http://www.berenforcongress.troops.html
Posted by: Beren for Congress on November 1, 2006 11:00 AMIn the same way, I don't think Trent Lott ever meant to say that we would be better off with segregation, and it was a MUCH further stretch to even infer that, and he was asked to resign and lost his majority leadership job because of it.
Kerry's comments regarding the women and children in Iraq were MUCH worse, and he cannot blame that on a botched joke about Bush.
Posted by: Palouse on November 1, 2006 11:03 AMThe upside is most of these kids coming out of the military are sharp as a whip. If there is one thing I think the military has done in the last 50 years it is better and better training. Not that it was bad before. Just better.
Posted by: Jimmy on November 1, 2006 11:19 AMGive them a megaphone and let them talk long enough. They'll tell you what they really think soon enough.
Posted by: jimg on November 1, 2006 11:26 AMUsing the military as a way to advance your prospects probably happens reasonably frequently. But it doesn't happen to the flipping high-school dropouts! They wouldn't be admitted.
Posted by: Al on November 1, 2006 11:31 AMKerry's comments are a slap in the face to every member of the military and their families. Hey, Sen. Clueless!! Joining the military is still VOLUNTARY the last time I checked. And not all of us can write checks to the university of our choice or have the desire to graduate owing thousands of dollars.
This is yet another example of media hypocrisy. Mel Gibson makes comments while he was three sheets to the wind and the resulting media "judge and jury" proclaimed he was speaking his real thoughts. Kerry, a known anti-war activist, makes an insulting remark sober and obviously we are supposed to know it was just a joke and we shouldn't take things out of context or read too much into it.
On a positive note, he did this close to the election, so payback will be forthcoming.
Dont fall in to the same logical distortions that allowed howling mad dead to get away with saying republicans dont have real jobs.
Reduce his statment to its base components and see if they jive with his excuse.
1. He gave a cause/effect statement (cause=bad grades-effect=go to Iraq)
2. Note he said go to Iraq, not make bad policy about Iraq.
3. The only logical way his joke could have turned out correctly would have ended with his insinuating that bad grades=becoming president (at least on this one he is hopeful)
4. He couldnt have been saying that he expected every one to whom he was speaking would seek the presidency, while it is well within the scope of reality that they could end up in the armed forces if they werent smart enough to become a haughty gold digging hypocrite elitist (who shames all men and women in uniform, not that I have an opinion on this).
5. The only logical conclusion is that, for the first time in a long time...A POLITICIAN ACTUALLY SAID WHAT HE MEANT!!!AND MEANT WHAT HE SAID!!! and then tried to back track (back to normal at least)
Same thing with Dean
1. He was talking about people voting, not those seeking votes (unless he was referencing the roughly 250 congressmen/women who still vote, hmm 250 or 50% of the roughly 120 million who voted republican.)
2. He was talking about republican voters in particular
3. The only logical consequence had he not "misspoke" would be that he was saying ALL legislators dont have real jobs, seeing as, republican or democrat, all of congress do the same thing (relativley)
So, let my Marine language slip in here a little bit...quit being a candy ass and using "slip", "mistake" "joke". He was exposing what we already know elitist liberals think of the armed forces.
P.S. I know he served, but also consider he was an officer, who dont always hold the men they lead in high regard, almost like they think they are stupid or something..which they might accidently say later...and have to cover up...
Other than that, keep up the good work and
Semper Fi
"Kerry made a blooper. Bloopers happen," the former Vermont governor told reporters.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskold on November 1, 2006 12:14 PM"Kerry made a blooper. Bloopers happen, just look at me."
Posted by: Al on November 1, 2006 12:26 PMNahh.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on November 1, 2006 12:32 PMpay attention, your republican-iraq talking points are about to change.
praise the military, sure...but one of these days you guys will find the guts to question the political leadership that has led them into chaos.
iraq is headed towards a shia-dominated state, aligned with iran and harboring more terrorists than it did before 2003. it's oil revenue is not paying for the reconstruction (which has largely stopped). can you spell F-U-B-A-R?
Posted by: dinesh on November 1, 2006 12:54 PM
please quit making excuses....they are increasingly pathetic.
but go ahead and make fun of kerry. reminds me of nero playing his violin while rome burned....
Posted by: dinesh on November 1, 2006 01:47 PMI have listened to a lot of rhetoric from the likes of Kerry and they all impressed me as viewing to their part in the US defeat in Vietnam as the crowning jewel of their accomplishments. It is what they look to to make themselves relevant. I have no use for them.
That picture is absolutely perfect!
Posted by: sgmmac on November 1, 2006 03:08 PMNot quite. 100 percent of commissioned officers have degrees. It's a requirement.
Posted by: jimg on November 1, 2006 03:21 PMI think Michael Medved is right: John Kerry's presidential run has just ended (Kerry just doesn't seem to know it yet).
Posted by: Michele on November 1, 2006 03:25 PM"I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform and I personally apologize to any service member, family member or American who was offended," Kerry said in a statement.
Notice that it's still our fault for misinterpreting the words that so clearly came out of his mouth. So is he apologizing here for our stupidity in not understanding what he should have said instead of what he did say?
Liberalism is a mental disorder
Posted by: MJC on November 1, 2006 03:29 PMTODAY: "I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended..."
It looks like this time he FLOPPED before he FLIPPED!
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskold on November 1, 2006 04:34 PMYup!..heh.....Kerry...You just go boy!
(fool)
(I think he must've gotten a talkin' to by 'ol Howard Dean last night about "apologies" and how Kerry had BETTER make a REAL one today, don'tcha think?)
Democrat Rahm Emmanuel said not too long ago "Never underestimate our ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory." Oh, touche.
Posted by: Michele on November 1, 2006 05:50 PMIt is foolish for you to claim otherwise. Childish!
Posted by: Don on November 1, 2006 05:59 PM"They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam..."
Or, in talking to Bob Shieffer about the Soldiers in Iraq:
"And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the � of � the historical customs, religious customs"
Do you think he didn't intend anything against the troops when he said those things? This man has a history of contempt for the military. Why should we accept his excuses at face value?
Posted by: Bill H on November 1, 2006 06:15 PMOh I get it, WE 200 million people who heard that moron speaking from his own notes, with his own mouth taking a proverbial dump in his own mess kit. On the bright side apparently Kerry's speech has done alot to further diversity here in the United States. Democrats, Republicans, Independants and You People have all come together to agree, Kerry cannot tell a joke, but he plays one on TV.
Posted by: Smokie on November 1, 2006 06:20 PMProud Kerry keeps on burnin,
Rolling, rolling, rolling over soldiers.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskold on November 1, 2006 06:40 PM
“It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.”
John Kerry--not just a fool, but a despicable fool.
Posted by: Bill H on November 1, 2006 06:42 PMNow whether someone in such a responsible position should be trashing the President is another issue, but then the President isn't exactly acting very presidential when he's calling anybody who questions his failed policy, and all democrats in general, traitors. What we really need in this country is a nonpartisan presidency, especially during a time of war.
As for Kerry's earlier remarks about rogue soldiers who disgrace their uniforms by committing atrocities, well, they should be trashed.
The sad fact of this whole affair is how quick the Republican party, and a scandal mongering media, sought to use this trivial misstatement as a means to divert attention away the real issue of a failed policy in Iraq.
It is my opinion that the only way we can restore accountability in government, and start to explore new approaches to winning in Iraq, is to see the opposition party win one of the two houses of congress. Not that the Dems have any good ideas right now, but unless this administration takes one on the chin it is never going to wake up out of its current state of denial and change course while there's still time to clean up this mess.
Can't believe I just said that, but I am very, very frustrated by the course of war on terror and the seeming inability of this administration to do anything but stay the failed course.
And, by the way, I agree with Kerry on one thing: Bush should have done his homework before taking this country to war.
Posted by: MJ on November 1, 2006 07:21 PMWay to go JC!~~~~~~~~ Posted by: none specified on November 1, 2006 07:35 PM
Side note: How does this Kerry controversy compare with Dan Quayle misspelling tomato(e)?
Posted by: Elaine on November 1, 2006 07:55 PMYou know, politics, if you make the most of it, you work hard, you use some common sense, and you make an effort to be patriotic, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck as a junior senator in the minority party and the ski-bum boy toy of a gin-soaked ketchup dowager.
(Hmmmm, I wonder if he's talking about Bush?!)
Posted by: alphabet soup on November 1, 2006 09:27 PM..and I just love that in this age of the internet, the soldiers are so quickly able to hear about this and respond, and so brilliantly. It's the perfect response, and they obviously had way too much fun showing the world what they thought about Kerry's remarks. I salute them for the perfect comeback from the perfect people to do it! You gotta LOVE those guys!
Posted by: Michele on November 1, 2006 11:36 PMall we need is some sound bite from AlGore linking the misspeak to global warming.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on November 2, 2006 01:11 PM