the real gaffe isn't being talked about much -- and was how he completely omitted any reference to his wife on the last question and made up the fiction about his dying mothers last words... IMHO the cheney thing was less mindboggling a gaffe as this, rather it was just the final straw to ignoring his wife (particularly in contrast to GWB's heartfelt eloquence regarding laura b.)
I agree. His whole answer to that last question was as cold, ugly, selfish, self-centered, cruel and dishonest as may have ever been uttered by a presidential candidate. You rightly point out the part that was dishonest. It is extremely unlikely the scene with his dying mother ever happened as he described it.
Kerry managed to use and abuse both his later mother and his wife in one statement. Anyone who paid sufficient attention to get it, had to have been thoroughly disgusted.