Posted on 10/31/2006 1:52:37 PM PST by Rennes Templar
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry’s “botched joke” about students needing to study hard or risk becoming “stuck in Iraq” has ignited a political firestorm over the war exactly a week from the election.
Kerry lashed out at the White House at a press conference in Seattle this afternoon for attacking him for his comments. The White House, however, called on Kerry to apologize for troop-bashing. A defiant Kerry refused.
“Let me make it crystal clear, as crystal clear as I know how,” Kerry said. “I apologize to no one for my criticism of the President and his broken policy. If anyone owes our troops in the fields an apology, it is the president and his failed team.”
Kerry then admitted “my statement yesterday, and the White House knows this full well, was a botched joke about the president and the president’s people, not about the troops.”
Yesterday, at a rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, Kerry told a cheering Pasadena City College audience: “Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard and do your homework and you make an effort to be smart you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
Video snippets of the speech have popped up on www.youtube.com, prompting irate calls by mothers of U.S. soldiers to Boston radio talk stations.
U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) issued a statement today calling on fellow Vietnam veteran Kerry to say he’s sorry.
“Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country’s call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education,” McCain said in a statement posted on drudgereport.com.
And the White House also called on Kerry to apologize.
“Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who’ve given their lives in this,” White House press secretary Tony Snow said. “This is an absolute insult.”
Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, fired back, saying the president and his administration are the ones who owe U.S. troops an apology because they “misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it.”
“This is the classic GOP playbook,” Kerry said in the harshly worded statement. “I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium.”
The American Public experienced a REAL Kerry moment and they wont listen to his BS, they know what they heard! A demeaning statement from an arrogant pompous airhead!
Truly the Wellstone Moment of 2006.
"“my statement yesterday, and the White House knows this full well, was a botched joke about the president and the president’s people, not about the troops.”"
Kerry had no balls in Viet Nam and had no balls today. I am absolutely aghast that this flaming jackass has completely twisted around what he meant when he ran his mouth yesterday and tries to play Mr Tough-guy.
All I'd like is 10 minutes with the pompous candy-ass...in memory of some damned good Marines who served with me.
Kerry has a dick? NO waaaayyy
(Laughter!!!!!)
Golly, now he's put his other foot in it.
Now, that's jumping the shark! This man is the living end, I swear it!
Yeah, Kerry's political career is finished.
The first lie - it wasn't a joke.
That Kerry picture has got to be the most repulsive i've ever seen of ole horseface.
Maybe we can get Kerry out here to Montana to help Tester out with his campaign!
All this in light of SKerry saying exactly what he meant to say, and meaning it exactly the way it sounded. The man is a dangerous Ass.
John Kerry should resign tomorrow!!!!!!!!
On H& little c,Little c was saying skerry misspoke and that he meant to be talking about GWB.Michael Barron Said little c was full of baloney. 'bout LMAO. There is no mistaking what POS skerry said.Thank you karl Rove.
WHERE CAN I BUY A POSTER OF THAT? God Im still laughing, it is magnificent.Thank you for posting this.
That is awesome!!! ROTFLMAO!!!
Yes, but his camp's explanation was that a couple of words would have clearly implied that it was the President, not the troops, being insulted. If that argument is true, and he had made the remark "as scripted," then you wouldn't have any basis for accusing him of insulting the troops, because the insult would have been aimed at Bush and we'd all know it.
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