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Democrats ditch bungling Kerry
The Times ^ | November 2, 2006 | Tom Baldwin

Posted on 11/01/2006 3:39:26 PM PST by MadIvan

Democrats stampeded over each other yesterday to disassociate themselves from John Kerry, their presidential candidate two years ago, who has handed Republicans an election lifeline with remarks implying US troops in Iraq are there because they are stupid.

Senator Kerry, speaking to a group of students in California on Monday, said: “You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” A video of his speech was placed swiftly on the internet and then seized upon by the White House, which has been desperate to switch the focus of voters away from the mounting toll of death and destruction in Iraq before Tuesday’s crucial elections for control of Congress.

On Tuesday night, in scenes reminiscent of the 2004 presidential contest, George Bush demanded that Mr Kerry apologise for his “insulting and shameful” remarks. Yesterday a number of top Democrat candidates joined him in calling on Mr Kerry to say sorry.

Harold Ford Jnr, who is running for the Senate in Tennessee, said: “Whatever the intent, [he] was wrong to say what he said.” Jon Tester, the party’s senatorial candidate in Montana, said: “He owes our troops and their families an apology.” Senator Hillary Clinton called the remarks inappropriate.

At the same time Democrat candidates across the US cancelled scheduled campaign appearances with Mr Kerry, whose distant hopes of another presidential candidacy in 2008 have now all but evaporated.

Mr Kerry on Tuesday had insisted that it was Mr Bush who should apologise. But yesterday he said: “Of course I’m sorry about a botched joke. I mean, you know, it’s pretty stupid.”

He claimed that his remarks had been aimed at Mr Bush for being “intellectually lazy” in getting “us stuck in a war in Iraq” — but he had fluffed his lines.

Instead, he said the mock-outrage of the White House was the latest example of the Republican campaign of “smear and fear” that had characterised attacks on his military record in Vietnam during the 2004 presidential contest, as well as his gaffe that he had voted for Iraq war funding before voting against it.

Yesterday Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, twisted the knife with a direct reference to this when he told a campaign rally: “Of course, now Senator Kerry says he was just making a joke. I guess we didn’t get the nuance. He was for the joke before he was against it.”

Mr Kerry has previously attacked the so-called “chicken-hawks” who have cast aspersions on his military record, while never seeing combat themselves. Yesterday he made no reference to how Mr Bush had avoided service in Vietnam, perhaps because it would have meant conceding that the President had got better grades than him at Yale.

# President Bush said last night that he wanted Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, and Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, to remain in his Administration until the end of his term.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008over; benedictarnold; democrat; devilincarnate; dickhead; election; frenchlooking; gaffe; gigolo; hanoiswarherokerry; iaintfondajohn; ichabodcrane; kerry; kerrydumbiraqgaffe; lurch; lyingdirtyscumbag; ratsonasinkingship; stuckiniraq; terayzasboytoy; unfit; whereisterayza
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chuckle

Regards, Ivan

1 posted on 11/01/2006 3:39:26 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: Mrs Ivan; odds; DCPatriot; Deetes; Barset; fanfan; LadyofShalott; Tolik; mtngrl@vrwc; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 11/01/2006 3:39:39 PM PST by MadIvan (I aim to misbehave.)
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To: MadIvan

bookmarked for after Mass tonight.


3 posted on 11/01/2006 3:40:26 PM PST by mware
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To: MadIvan

"Ditch bungling" At a glance I thought that was some kind of British slang for something George Michael might be caught doing.


4 posted on 11/01/2006 3:41:57 PM PST by cripplecreek (If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?)
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To: MadIvan

does this go with the John 16:3 line?


5 posted on 11/01/2006 3:42:22 PM PST by pipecorp ( Al Lahsucks...Islam: nothing that a good crusade wouldn't fix ;; mercy is wasted on the merciless.)
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To: MadIvan

Hey Ivan have you been to Drudge report LATELY see how our US Miltary think of John Kerry ROFL


6 posted on 11/01/2006 3:42:24 PM PST by SevenofNine ("Step aside Jefe"=Det Lennie Briscoe)
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To: MadIvan
“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in ...

the US Senate.

7 posted on 11/01/2006 3:42:40 PM PST by lonestar (Me, too--Weinie)
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To: MadIvan

Oh yeah, let's share a happy chuckle. This is just too GREAT!


8 posted on 11/01/2006 3:42:52 PM PST by blitzgig
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To: MadIvan

I can see it already. When the Dems don't completely stomp the Pubs like the press has been saying they will, they will now be free to blame it ALL on John Kerry rather than admitting that they have been stumping for the Dems all along with absolutely no real basis for their call for a Dem landslide.


9 posted on 11/01/2006 3:43:25 PM PST by onevoter
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To: SevenofNine
The Times article included this picture:

Yes, we know all about it over here. :)

Regards, Ivan

10 posted on 11/01/2006 3:44:13 PM PST by MadIvan (I aim to misbehave.)
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To: MadIvan
What's funny is the dems also stampeded over themselves to ditch Joe Lieberman, their Vice Presidential candidate in 2000.

So a perception of being anti military gets you thrown under the bus and a perception of being pro military gets you thrown under the bus. Apparently, the cardinal sin of Democrat politics is even acknowledging the existence of the United States Military.
11 posted on 11/01/2006 3:44:28 PM PST by Question Liberal Authority (Kerry's Joke Insulted The Wrong People In The Wrong War At the Wrong Time)
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To: MadIvan

"President Bush said last night that he wanted Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, and Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, to remain in his Administration until the end of his term."

I do not know who asked the question that prompted this answer.

What I do know is that the answer is incorrect.

VP Cheney is elected to 4 years, just like the President. It is not the President's discretion to fire the VP, a separate political office.

SecDef is totally different as the SecDef serves at the pleasure of the POTUS.

The POTUS should have said that VP Cheney was elected by the Republic and serves the Republic. SecDef serves at his pleasure and will continue to do so. EOM!


12 posted on 11/01/2006 3:44:31 PM PST by Prost1 (Fair and Unbiased as always!)
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To: MadIvan

13 posted on 11/01/2006 3:44:37 PM PST by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: MadIvan

First they ditched Gore, then Lieberman, now Kerry. One wonders if Edwards will likewise join the Democratic unmentionables along with McGovern (who wasn't even invited to the 2004 Dem convention in his home state!) and Dukakis?!


Oh, and Gary Hart. And Mondale.


14 posted on 11/01/2006 3:45:15 PM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: MadIvan

I remember during the 2004 election how the Dems lavished praise on Kerry over and over again for being a polished and smooth speaker. Remember the run-up to the debates? Kerry was going to wipe the floor with Bush. He is such a good debater compared to the bumbling Bush. He is soooo nuanced! Remember that?

Now all of a sudden Kerry is an awkward speaker! His words just get in the way of his genius.

So which is it? I don't think it was an attempt at a joke. I do think Kerry is a polished politician and speaker. This was not a mistake; he was trying to encourage these college kids to get good grades, otherwise their only choice would be the military (to his thinking).


15 posted on 11/01/2006 3:45:47 PM PST by loreldan (Without coffee I am nothing.)
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To: onevoter

and that's exactly what's going to happen..instead of the usual "Bush's fault", it'll now be "Kerry's Fault"..


16 posted on 11/01/2006 3:45:48 PM PST by GeorgiaDawg32 (To the brave soldiers "stuck" in Iraq, come Tuesday, I've got your back..)
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To: MadIvan
Am listening to John O'Neill now on the Great One.

JFnK yesterday thought he was showing how tough he will be the next time the Swifties come after him.

It wasn't the Swifties that came after him this time, it was Americans saying JSTFU JFnK.

PS JFnK, I'll show you my DD214 if you show me yours!

17 posted on 11/01/2006 3:45:50 PM PST by rocksblues (Do unto others as they do unto you!)
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To: MadIvan
...and then seized upon by the White House, which has been desperate to switch the focus of voters away from the mounting toll of death and destruction in Iraq before Tuesday’s crucial elections for control of Congress.

This kills me. The newspapers can't stick to reporting the news, they feel compelled to insert their own opinions and commentary into every article. Unbiased my a$$!

18 posted on 11/01/2006 3:45:52 PM PST by SunTzuWu
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To: MadIvan
chicken-hawk signing in, MI. I served in the USAF and never saw battle. However, the things I did averted battle. So I guess I'm a chicken-hawk/hawk when it really comes down to it.l

Oooh boy, Lurch has really stepped into it now.

Heh heh.

19 posted on 11/01/2006 3:46:08 PM PST by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: Southack

Kerry needs a quick visit to the troops in Baghdad, He would become Mrs kerry real quick....


20 posted on 11/01/2006 3:46:28 PM PST by mmyers
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