It's his tone of voice ..
With that said it will back fire on Kerry because it cuts off what the President actually said and McCain doesn't want to be pulled in the middle of Kerry's problems
Kerry will try to make it a debate issue .. but Bush has always stated that Kerry and mcCain had served with honor
No doubt Kerry will make it an issue during the debate. The worst thing President Bush needs to do is actually jump into the fray, so far he has shown no signs of jumping into the fray. If Bush stays above the fray, it will only show Kerry to be a petty man hellbent on acquiring more power.