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The 'Botched Joke' Excuse
WSJ ^ | 11/1/06 | James Taranto

Posted on 11/01/2006 1:16:48 PM PST by pissant

Pardon our morbid fascination with this story, but in a way it makes us feel vindicated. We first noted that something wasn't quite right with John Kerry way back in December 2002, but even we didn't realize how not quite right he was until this week. At a news conference yesterday, Kerry offered the latest "explanation" for his statement suggesting that the troops in Iraq are stupid and uneducated:

My statement [Monday]--and the White House knows this full well--was a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops. The White House's attempt to distort my true statement is a remarkable testament to their abject failure in making America safe.

Well, here is what Kerry actually said:

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, uh, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.

"The White House's attempt to distort my true statement" consists in taking what Kerry actually said at face value.

Even if the statement was a "botched joke," what on earth would possess Kerry to think that this excuses what he said? George Allen and Trent Lott didn't get passes for "botched jokes"; indeed, here is what Kerry himself said about Lott, according to Salon:

Sen. John Kerry, a [haughty, French-looking] Massachusetts Democrat [who by the way served in Vietnam] and 2004 presidential contender, became the first member of the Senate to suggest Lott was now unfit to lead the upper chamber. "It saddens me greatly to suggest this, but in the interests of the Senate, his party, and the nation, I believe Trent Lott should step aside as majority leader," Kerry said.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS: hangem; jamestaranto; kerry; kerrydumbiraqgaffe; unfit
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He also said he had a sore shoulder when he threw a first pitch 20 feet shy of home plate. What a cretin.

1 posted on 11/01/2006 1:16:51 PM PST by pissant
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To: pissant

Should have tried the "I was drunk" excuse.

Or "I was molested by a Priest as a teen" excuse.


2 posted on 11/01/2006 1:17:51 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: pissant

DU is like an ant hill that's been stepped on today. I must say, it's great entertainment!


3 posted on 11/01/2006 1:21:28 PM PST by Sax
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To: pissant
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
4 posted on 11/01/2006 1:22:22 PM PST by Bon mots
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To: pissant


On the subject of "Botched Jokes that deserve an apology"
5 posted on 11/01/2006 1:22:27 PM PST by Paloma_55 (I may be a hateful bigot, but I still love you)
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To: pissant
from little green footballs:
6 posted on 11/01/2006 1:23:07 PM PST by AIM-54
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To: pissant

We've all gotten tongue-tied and said things we didn't mean to say, and sometimes the results were offensive or explicit, like the old "two pickets to Titsburgh" joke. That happens to the best of us. No problem. Invariably, though, when that happens, we immediately get all red-faced and try to correct our error, usually by taking a deep breath, saying "Let me try that again," and saying what we really *meant* to say.

There is only one exception to this rule - when we don't think we said anything wrong.

Watch the video. Kerry didn't think he said anything wrong.


7 posted on 11/01/2006 1:24:26 PM PST by Terabitten (Be humble and be kind.)
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To: pissant

I was for the "botched joke" before I was against it!


8 posted on 11/01/2006 1:24:48 PM PST by Man50D (Fair Tax , you earn it , you keep it!)
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To: Brilliant

"My Truth is that I am a Gay American..."


9 posted on 11/01/2006 1:25:17 PM PST by gridlock (The GOP will pick up at least TWO seats in the Senate and FOUR seats in the House in 2006)
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To: Brilliant

The joke was only botched because the audience that would find it funny is not "the public" but a limited group of arrogant, classist, elitist, lefties.

If he told that joke to that limited audience the room would be filled with har hars and yesses.


10 posted on 11/01/2006 1:25:36 PM PST by Shermy
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To: pissant
I don't know how many times I have warned my kids that if they don't work hard and do their homework, they might wind up being President of the United States.

But do they listen? Nooooooooo!

11 posted on 11/01/2006 1:28:42 PM PST by gridlock (The GOP will pick up at least TWO seats in the Senate and FOUR seats in the House in 2006)
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To: pissant

Wow. I scooped the WSJ.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1730036/posts?page=35#35


12 posted on 11/01/2006 1:31:49 PM PST by Hoodat ( ETERNITY - Smoking, or Non-smoking?)
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To: pissant

OMG I'm looking for this video on youtube right now.


13 posted on 11/01/2006 1:32:33 PM PST by Ainast
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To: pissant
That SOB Secret Service agent ruined the punch line for me.

-PJ

14 posted on 11/01/2006 1:32:49 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (It's still not safe to vote Democrat.)
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To: Hoodat

Oops.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1730036/posts?page=25#25


15 posted on 11/01/2006 1:34:03 PM PST by Hoodat ( ETERNITY - Smoking, or Non-smoking?)
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To: pissant

Kerry's the gaff that keeps on gaffing.


16 posted on 11/01/2006 1:36:27 PM PST by Bullish ( Reality is the best cure for delusion.)
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To: Shermy
The joke was only botched because the audience that would find it funny is not "the public" but a limited group of arrogant, classist, elitist, lefties.

Sopt on. Liberal "humor" often has a theme of condescension attached to it. I've worked around many liberals for many years, and they are precisely what you say: arrogant, classist, elitist, lefties.

17 posted on 11/01/2006 1:43:36 PM PST by Starboard
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: Starboard

Exactly! I laughed out loud to think that Kerry tried to say that Bush is stupid but only made himself out to be the dunce. Who's stupid now, Kerry!


19 posted on 11/01/2006 2:01:22 PM PST by kdot
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To: pissant

How could it possibly be a joke about Bush?

Bush did stay in school. He graduated from Yale. He went on to earn an MBA from Harvard.

So, Kerry's set up line for a supposed Bush joke makes no sense.

The only hypothesis that conforms to the actual facts is that Kerry thinks the Army relies on drop outs and dunces to fill its ranks. This is factually untrue. Data show current recruits have better academic records than the average American of similar age. Since the facts don't support Kerry's statement, the only explanation left is blind contempt for those who choose to defend their country. This blind contempt has been Kerry's mindset since his days in Vietnam.


20 posted on 11/01/2006 2:01:59 PM PST by John Semmens
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