Posted on 11/01/2006 8:35:21 AM PST by libertarianPA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Sen. John Kerry said on Wednesday he was sorry about a "botched joke" that drew election-year fire from President George W. Bush and other Republicans who accused him of insulting U.S. troops in Iraq.
Kerry reiterated the target of his joke was Bush, who immediately seized on the senator's remarks to rally Republican supporters ahead of Tuesday's elections, in which the party's control of Congress is at risk.
Kerry said he was returning to Washington from a trip campaigning on behalf of Democratic congressional candidates because he did not want to be "a distraction."
A day after rejecting calls to apologize for his remarks, Kerry, appearing on the "Imus in the Morning" radio show on MSNBC, declared: "I said it was a botched joke. Of course, I'm sorry about a botched joke."
While campaigning in California on Monday, Kerry told a college crowd: "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 said the senator had misread his prepared remarks. They said he had intended to say, "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."
So a " botched joke" is more deserving of an apology than an insult to out troops? This guy is an ass clown
Need help immediatly!
Pls prepare or aquire original Kerry speech with:
"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."
This story is about yesterday's non-apology!
That is NOT an apology! An apology is getting before a podium and reading a sincere apology from a prepared statements, including an admission that what he said was wrong.
The sad part is that the democratic 'base'---REALLY IS STUPID ENOUGH TO BELIEVE HIM--so it WILL rally the 'base' behind him.
I say baloney - he was using a Vietnam era statement. He said what he meant only he misunderestimated the American publics perception of the war and the Dems.
Puke .
"I said it was a botched joke. Of course, I'm sorry about a botched joke."
He STILL doesn't get it.
What an Idiot.
"Kerry's office said the senator had misread his prepared remarks. They said he had intended to say, "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.""
This rewrite would only make sense if Bush didn't have 2 degrees from Ivy League schools...achieving better grades than Kerry did.
He only said in a indirect way , that the people were to stupid to " GET IT " to get his joke, and wrote it off as a blotched joke.
"They said he had intended to say, "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."
That doesn't make sense. How would someone without an education get us stuck in Iraq?
You've got a point there ...
I, Dr. Bogus Pachysandra, declare a fatwa on J F'n Kerry!
Well its already changed the commentating. We are in the do you accept mode already? Its all so obvious
He's apologizing for not delivering funny jokes.
Lando 
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