Posted on 10/31/2006 5:07:02 PM PST by chaos_5
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry drew election-year fire from President Bush and other Republicans on Tuesday for saying college students could "get stuck in Iraq" if they do not study hard. ADVERTISEMENT
But Kerry, who unsuccessfully challenged Bush in the 2004 presidential election, refused to apologize and said his remark was a "botched joke" aimed at the president, not U.S. troops.
With the Iraq war a dominant issue in the November 7 elections, Kerry's comment on Monday gave Republicans, struggling to maintain control of the U.S. Congress, a chance to fight back.
Kerry's office said later the Massachusetts Democrat had misread his prepared remarks that included the words "Just ask President Bush," which he omitted.
Kerry, who was criticized for mishandling national security issues during his losing White House campaign, angrily accused Republicans who have never been in war of making unfounded attacks.
"The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and (Vice President) Dick Cheney who misled America into war," said the Massachusetts Democrat.
While campaigning in California, Kerry 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."
Kerry's office released his prepared remarks, which said, "Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."
Bush quickly seized on the controversy, releasing a demand that Kerry apologize. He was to repeat the call at a campaign event.
"The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer Armed Forces are plenty smart and are serving because they are patriots -- and Senator Kerry owes them an apology."
Paul Morin, national commander of the 2.7 million-member American Legion, the nation's biggest veterans' organization, expressed outrage.
But Kerry, combative at a news conference in Seattle, insisted: "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 served in the Navy in the Vietnam War. Bush was a member of the Texas Air National Guard during that war, spending his time in the United States. Cheney avoid Vietnam with student deferments.
If the White House misconstrued Kerry's comments, apparently so did others, including Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), an Arizona Republican and a fellow Vietnam vet who has had an amicable relationship with Kerry.
McCain said 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."
Other Republican lawmakers and conservative talk-show hosts made similar calls as both parties jockeyed for position in next week's elections.
White House spokesman Tony Snow had called the comments "an absolute insult," to which Kerry responded: "I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed-suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium or doughy (talk-show host) Rush Limbaugh."
"If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq -- and not the president who got us stuck there -- they're crazy," he added.
He's using the GI's to get ahead in politics just like Kerry.
Maybe that occured to him.
kerry is the face and voice of today's dim party! They own it, they speak it, they live it... and they should have to defend what it is they truly believe. kerry told how he and his entire party see our Military. They have no respect, no obligation to and nothing but disdain for our heroes!
LLS
Kerry Explains Himself
The Republicans are trying to make a big issue out of my advice to students, Sen John Kerry (D-Mass) said at a hastily called press conference. The press conference was scheduled after various veterans took offense to Kerrys assertion that only morons and losers go to war.
My intent was to urge students to do well in school so they wouldnt flunk out and lose their student deferments, Kerry explained. If you wash out of school youre gonna get drafted and sent to Iraq. I was just trying to use this unpleasant reality to help motivate them to study hard.
I mean, staying in school reading Marx and Chomskys got to be better than wading through rice paddies waiting to get shot, Kerry continued. I dont think I have to apologize to anyone for giving this sensible advice.
read more
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
Question.... Are any dims out there SUPPORTING him? Seems to be a lot of silence.
Poor John. He can't help it. He was married into a silver foot in his mouth.
Oh my! I didn't know the draft was back in force. Should I register? Kerry is insane and a traitor with no respect at all for our military and he proved it over and over again.
"If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq -- and not the president who got us stuck there -- they're crazy," he added." John Kerry 2006
"They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, tape wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the country side of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country."
John Kerry 1971
Mr Kerry has had no problem in letting us know what he thinks of those who serve our country.
That's because the great unwashed masses out there that they so despise are far smarter than they give us credit for. The more they try to justify it, the deeper the hole they're digging for themselves.
Kerry should resign immediately!
I'd like to see every Republican candidate in the Senate and House using this clip of Frenchie insulting the troops in their commericials for the next seven days. "This is what you can expect when you vote Democrat!"
Thank you John Kerry, for being such an incredible a**hole!!
McCain was SO not buying the "it was a joke" spin that alan Colmes was pushing. Democrats = TOAST.
Was this Karl Rove's "October Surprise?"
And that's really saying something!
Do liberals not understand (or not care) how elitist and snooty they sound when they criticize someone for a lack of "intellectual curiosity"? Most Americans do not consider themselves "intellectual" and probably do not understand why the Democrats gripe constantly about Bush's alleged lack of intellect.
If not, it is a gift from Heaven! dims stating what they really believe and then having to lie about what they actually say!
LLS
If it is these people are sick... still time of war and President Bush is CIC..... not to mention Bush has a Masters' degree and had higher SAT's and grades than Kerry who made a whole lot of D's..
Just more of the same from John Kerry.
From a 2004 thread -- What You Don't Know about John Kerry
Over at DU, they think Kerry's remark is a good thing:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2525839
On WOR radio in New York, Lionel and callers are claiming that Kerry's remark followed stuff about the President. Does anyone know what he said after the remark? Does anyone have a transcript?
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