Y'know, he had a chance at getting away with this until he threw in the "qualified" part. Thousands of bandits run the race every year. I don't know what the BAA does with them at the finish line, but they probably let 'em slide through.
I ran and finished Boston 4x in the late-70s/early-80s. I know my finish times.
AM1776 pointed out the VERY tough qualifying standards during that time. You don't just show up, not even if you're a well-connected politician. Will Cloney, the race director during that time period, simply would not have allowed it, and any politician asking for the favor would have been embarrassed in the press.
Simple Q to Mr. Kerry, "OK, I'll believe you ran, I'll believe you finished, and I'll even believe you don't remember your time, IF, IF, IF, you can tell me what marathon you ran in to qualify for Boston, and when."
Prediction: He won't answer, or will claim to not know or remember. This is not possible without Alzheimers. His only "vague" answer might be that he ran a "few" marathons in the year he qualified. OK, big guy, name them.
This is actually WORSE than Christmas in Cambodia to me.
It is something a LOT of people can relate to, and it would appear it doesn't even pass the smell test.
Excellent post, Kerry even lied about using the word Liar about Bush, said it was too harsh a term. Is that what it means to use nuance?