Posted on 10/31/2006 3:58:39 PM PST by MadIvan
The Republican Party on Tuesday gained a late burst of energy in its flagging midterm election campaign following remarks by John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, in which he said college students could “get stuck in Iraq” if they do not study hard.
While campaigning in California, the Massachusetts senator told a college crowd on Monday: “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. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
George W. Bush on Tuesday seized on Mr Kerry’s remarks: “The senator’s suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and shameful,” said the US president at an election rally in Georgia. “The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer Armed Forces are plenty smart – Senator Kerry owes them an apology.”
John McCain, the leading Republican contender for the 2008 presidential nomination and - like Mr Kerry - a veteran of the Vietnam war, also responded strongly: “The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq is an insult to every soldier serving in combat.”
Republican strategists, who have been watching helplessly as opinion polls have turned against them in the last six weeks, on Tuesday drew renewed purpose from a gaffe that many believe could help motivate the party’s demoralised supporters to turn out to vote at the polls next Tuesday.
Meanwhile some Democratic strategists worried about Mr Kerry’s response to the Republican Party’s criticism of his comments, which appeared to deepen the controversy. Mr Kerry referred to Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, as a “stuffed suit” and said that his remarks had been directed at Mr Bush rather than at US soldiers serving in Iraq.
“It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country, lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have,” said Mr Kerry. “If anyone thinks a veteran would criticise the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they’re crazy.”
Mr Kerry’s ebullient response was in sharp contrast to the way he handled the 2004 presidential campaign, in which his campaign team waited more than a week before responding to the negative advertisements put out by the “Swift Boat” veterans questioning the senator’s war record.
“This was a slip of the tongue and the American people are not going to let this sway them over the important issues facing them in this election, which includes the Iraq war,” said Simon Rosenberg head of the New Democratic Network, a centrist group in Washington.
However, some Democrats suggested Mr Kerry’s remarks would almost certainly damage his presidential hopes. “Senator Kerry botched his remarks – as he has in the past,” said James Carville, campaign manager for Bill Clinton in the 1990s. “But Mr Bush has botched the war in Iraq.”
Kerry can attend the Rats' Halloween party as himself...
When Nancy Pelosi read her horoscope this morning, it said, "Kaboom".
The only one happy about Kerry's stupid remarks bashing the military in Iraq is HRC. The more Kerry shoots himself in the foot the easier campaign she will have.
Regards, Ivan
He can't hear you, nor does he read FR posts.
He's ready for Easter too.
More DemonRat Rants from the Financial Slimes
“Senator Kerry botched his remarks – as he has in the past,” said James Carville, campaign manager for Bill Clinton in the 1990s. “But Mr Bush has botched the war in Iraq.”
Sorry james the "Bush botched the war" spin just won't attach itself to these disgusting and demeaning remarks
which weren't "botched" in any way, but rather were meant
to demean volunteers of our Armed Forces while they are in
harm's way. Kerry unfortunately doesn't know enough to be
ashamed to utter them. This is the second time he's slandered our troops and that is twice too many as it is.
The people of his state should demand his resignation.
LOL - Good one!
Given the chance to apologize for his stupid remark, Kerry took the low road once again. His elitist thinking seeps through, he can't help it. But then, what do you expect from the Kite surfing, botoxed Senator from Mass who was a traitor in Vietnam.
You'd be surprised. The military is now so small, relative to the population, that is no longer true, not like it once was. It's particularly not true in Democrat strongholds, be they the Limousine Liberals or the eastern inner city strongholds.
Sure it is. Probably just to the right of Molotov.
Guys like Representative Sam Johnson (my rep when I lived in his district for the first 12 years I lived in Texas) , Col. Bud Day, and even that RINO McCain, who in this case did the right thing by immediately demanding an apology for the troops? Yeh they never did anything to serve, but they've certainly criticized former Lt. Kerry.
In *this* war that is. He slandered all the troops, including the 58,000 who didn't come home, who served in and around Vietnam as well.
Lets go get this sick basta-- and we can do it right here. We need to keep this in the news....NAM vets need apply!!
Lets go get this sick basta-- and we can do it right here. We need to keep this in the news....NAM vets need apply!!
Heinz-Kerry supposedly joked about shooting the President (which is not beyond the realm of possibility given that there are allegations he may have shot an unarmed 12-year old boy in the back in Vietnam) and his pals in the drive-bys ran cover for him. No doubt they'll do the same for this. All the more reason to drag 10 more people with you to the polls on Tuesday.
McCain actually started to make a good point about this (I think Alan or Sean started to talk over him): even if Lurch had the President in mind when he made his "joke", the message is still the same, "Only dummies get 'stuck' in Iraq". That having been said, Limbaugh is right. By tomorrow the MSM will have found half a dozen Iraq and Afghanistan "veterans" who will say that they bought Kerry's spin, and are in no wise offended. Maybe they'll be the "dummies" he's talking about.
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