Posted on 10/31/2006 3:54:12 PM PST by MikeA
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 31, 2006 — For weeks, Republicans on the campaign trail have been looking for something — anything — to talk about other than the record of the Republican Congress and the way the Bush administration has conducted the war in Iraq.
Monday, they got their wish. While stumping for local Democrats in California, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., addressed students at Pasadena City College and made a comment about education and the war in Iraq that lent itself to much controversy.
"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. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he said.
It was a rhetorical gift for the embattled Republican Party which is eager to run against Kerry again. The White House unusually notified the media ahead of time that the president would address the issue in remarks at today's campaign rally in Georgia.
Election Fodder
The Kerry kerfuffle is a prototype of controversies of the new media age. "Thanks to the Internet, all life is on the record now," observed journalism professor Jeff Jarvis of CUNY. "Everything a politician says and does is public and the world can see in a second … that's life now."
After Kerry's remarks were mentioned on the Web sites of local newspapers, including the Whittier Daily News, the video popped up on YouTube and conservative blogs like Newsbusters.org, and then talk radio seized on them.
Though, as opposed to 2004, it didn't take Kerry weeks to respond to attacks against him. Shortly before noon, Tuesday, Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, responded, insisting in a statement that he had not belittled the intelligence of soldiers serving in Iraq, but rather, that of "the president who got us stuck there."
But it may have been too late, the train had left the station.
"I believe Sen. Kerry owes an apology to many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., campaigning in Indiana.
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said, "It tells us what John Kerry himself and the Democratic Party think about the troops and the U.S. military."
By the time Kerry got to a microphone in Seattle this afternoon to explain what he called a botched joke about the president, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans, had already heard about this new issue and Republican candidates were talking about it.
"It disgusts me that a bunch of these Republican hacks who have never worn the uniform of our country are willing to lie about those who did," Kerry added.
What's unclear is if Kerry's comments will help rally Republican voters or help their party portray Democrats as against the troops to score victories next Tuesday. A Democratic congressman told ABC News, Tuesday, "I guess Kerry wasn't content blowing 2004, now he wants to blow 2006, too."
No bias there.
Maybe the Dems saw the handwriting on the wall and Kerry was designated the Sacrificial Lamb to take the hit for them not gaining either House of Congress? It can't be their positions on the issues, can it? [/s
Yup, check out my post #22 which speaks to that opening sentence you mentioned.
Not to mention that GW got better grades at Yale than the traitor.
Plus Charlie Rangel calling the VEEP an S.O.B.
That's not gonna hurt the GOP either.
"It's not all about you, John (0 / 0)
"It doesn't matter if Tweety or other commentators "straighten it out" - this was the lead story on every network news broadcast, and gave Bush, McCain and others a free shot to gin up their voters. I certainly hope it won't have an effect beyond, say, tomorrow, since Kerry is NOT on the ballot anywhere.
"But, I have the following message for Senator Kerry: John, STFU. This election is NOT about you, it's not about your sorry-ass reaction to being smeared in 2004, it's not a chance for you to redeem yourself. It's NOT ABOUT YOU, goddamn it, it's about Democrats having a chance to take control of at least one house. You should have learned by now that remarks will be seized on and used against your party - this is unforgivably careless of you. I worked for a lot of professional politicians for many years, and never have I witnessed this kind of egocentric, irresponsible, self-centered approach to speaking in public from someone at your level. The press is not interested in interpreting you correctly, John - therefore you cannot make statements that NEED interpretation. You're NOT an independent, a**hole, you're supposed to be a Democrat - think about your party for a change, not yourself.
''I'm not about to panic, but this is NOT what we needed a week out, with the press looking for any event to make their "horse race" stories more exciting
URL: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/31/173116/88
Even a few of the ultra liberal posters see the problem as Kerry's not the press.
I see this spineless, unwilling-to-give-his-name Democrat remembers they were all saying back in October of 2004, that "It's Kerry's to lose!"
One big echo chamber, the MSM/DBM/DNC/DEM horde.
HF
The DU posters are telling him to "Shut up & Sit Down!" and these are the same posters who idolized this crazy traitor in 2004! ROFLMAO!
I have the same question; the only reason I read this post was to find out what Dem made the statement claimed in the title to this post. Can anyone shed any light on this?
The President is the Commander in Chief of the Military. This one knows that loyalty flows in both directions. It's his job to support the troops as it is theirs to obey his lawful orders.
It's also the job of the Senators and CongressCritters, but not all of them seem to remember that.
I'm a wisecracker and the old rule for jokes and witticisms is "If you have to explain a joke, it just wasn't funny."
Kerry's explanation is incomprehensible. God works in mysterious ways.
Naw, in sKerrys mind, he did nothing wrong, it's the republicans who are spinning this & turning it into a republican tactic. Didn't you hear that??? (/sarc)
Up to now it was Rove who stole the election from the Bolshies.
No, he will gain popularity among the moon bats while defying even a simple apology. He is clearly a sociopath, and will never admit wrong. At best, his party will throw him under the bus.
My friend and former CO, who now rests in Arlington Cemetery (No not that one, but the military Cemetery in Arlington Texas) had their number 35 or 40 years ago. He called them the "Party of Treason".
Considering the recent revelations of Ted Kennedy's attempt to aid Yuri Andropov back during the Reagan administration and J F'n Kerry's actions while a serving reserve officer, I'd say he nailed it.
The gift that keeps on giving...
Most of 'em became Republicans, or like Lieberman, were booted aside by the far left wing which controls the Dim party.
On Hugh Hewitt show just now, Mark Halperin - head of ABC News - just said that nobody in the media pays attention to John Kerry anymore and believes the Kerry spin, further ignoring the comments Kerry made prefacing his smear of the troops (prefacing comments indicating he was going to speak about education)
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