October 31, 2006
Bush Slams Kerry Over Troop Comments
Questions:
By making himself an issue, did Sen. John Kerry do the GOP a favor by giving them an issue to motivate their base? (Independents may not care, but the base hates Kerry... hates him.)
If Kerry is happy to let America know that he's not going to take sleights, are Democrats happy to have Kerry in the spotlight seven days before the election?
Couldn't Kerry have taken care of this imbroglio by admitting that he mangled his words?
Is it smart for any Democrat right now to take the spotlight? Shouldn't the Dems want to keep the spotlight solely and totally on Bush and Iraq?
Does Kerry know how and when to pick his battles? Should Kerry respond to every ant bite with a gun?
Does Kerry have to respond to every Republican who picks on him... even at the expense of Democratic message unity?
Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush? (We believe that Kerry was referring to Bush because he's used a similar formulation in our presence before and quite clearly meant to call Bush a dummy.)
Aren't Republicans being a bit intellectually dishonest by taking Kerry out of context?
How many news cycles will this cost the Democrats?
Do independents associate Kerry with “strength?”
Will bloggers -- smart and pragmatic -- come to Kerry's defense?
Will the media treat Kerry fairly enough to report on his comments fairly?
Do Republicans want to refight '04 about Iraq?
Here's what Pres. Bush is supposed to say this afternoon:
.....I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the Commander-in-Chief of such incredibly brave men and women who have volunteered to wear the uniform of the United State s. And even in the midst of a heated campaign season, there are still some things we should all be able to agree on – and one of the most important is that every one of our troops deserves our gratitude – and respect. Yesterday Democrat Senator John Kerry was speaking to a group of young people in California, and gave them this advice, quote: “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.”The Senator’s suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and shameful. Our troops did not enlist because they did not study hard in school or do their homework. 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.
Whatever party you belong to, whatever you think about the war in Iraq, we should all agree that our troops deserve our unwavering support. And when it comes to supporting our men and women in uniform, I don’t have any doubt where Mac Collins is going to land. He is a strong supporter of the military. And he knows what I know: Any time you have American troops in harm’s way, they have the right to expect the full support of the American government.
Posted at 03:38 PM
Comments
Careful, your color is showing.
djshay | 10.31.06 03:50 PM
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Add the one word “us” and you see what he’s saying:
“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get “us” stuck in Iraq.”
With how Bush mangles the English language, you really want to hold Kerry to account for skipping one word?
Ed | 10.31.06 04:13 PM
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This is beyond a non-story. A major republican mouthpiece mocks the physically disabled, and barely a peep. The President threatens that if his party doesn't win, the terrorists will. Nary a sound. A Vietnam veteran states the obvious, and immediately all hell breaks loose.
This is like the typical story that media latch onto because they're yearning, aching, desperately seeking a story that will balance the onslaught of bad news for Republicans and their outright malfeasance in destroying our country.
A purportedly dumb comment by John Kerry is just irresistible to these types. And it's disgusting.
Whiskey | 10.31.06 04:26 PM
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this is a drudge-fueled-story that no one outside the beltway would even hear about, if it wasn't for hack-school journalists.
Kerry very obviously just mangled his words a bit. Everyone knows what he meant and few serious people seriously following the war, and the toll its taken on our troops, would disagree with what he really meant.
The faults of this was lie with this White House, not Sen. Kerry.
marcus | 10.31.06 04:48 PM
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I found it a big stretch to figure out how Kerry could possibly mean President Bush. Of course he meant to slam our troops. I think he should resign immediately, especially since no apology will be forthcoming.
Karen Jones | 10.31.06 05:23 PM
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"Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush?"
Kerry meant what he said. If we are to believe that he "forgot" two words, his statement wouldn't make sense. Kerry was a mediocre student, worse than Bush.
Lou Minatti | 10.31.06 05:30 PM
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I'm not so sure it hurts Democrats. Any discussion of Iraq is bad for Republicans.
TomT | 10.31.06 05:34 PM
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Or the President could remark that Mr. Kerry mispoke and shame on some Republicans for politicizing it. He could also show some humility and admit to saying some pretty silly things himself. Or he could continue to pretend Kerry actually meant to slight the troops, blow it out of proportion and try to use it to motivate his woefully ignorant base. He'll probably do the latter, that's his M.O.
Bing VanGorden | 10.31.06 05:49 PM
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You know, people wouldn't be so upset about this if it wasn't true.
Remember back to your school days, all of you who went to schools where people were poor enough to have to worry about the military (rich kids have always been able to buy their way out- see GWB). Who were the kids who went to the military?
The 'A' students? The National Honor Society kids? No. Even the 'C' students? Not usually. We all know who it was that ended up in the military- the kids who screwed around long enough in school that the only option left for them was the military.
Or crime. Pretty much one and the same these days.
People wouldn't be so upset if it wasn't true. Americans hate to face the truth of our disintegrating society. The fact is that the kids who went to the military are the ones least likely to be able to read the Constitution they're supposedly defending.
Mikey Golightly | 10.31.06 05:49 PM
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Why am I not surprised? Thanks John for helping us out when we most need it! Surely, John, to have uttered the words that you did, you must figure that your itended audience shares your contempt and disdain for the red-state young men and women who serve under our flag. Let's go on and march forward to victory!
Michael
Michael Zaharias | 10.31.06 05:51 PM
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Could you be any more in-the-tank for the Democrats?
And as a Republican, I can honestly say that I cannot see how he could be talking about Bush, and not the soldiers in Iraq. I can't say that it is taking him out of context to quote his words, there is no amount of context that puts it over to your spin, except, apparently, a private conversation you were part of, sorry.
moptop | 10.31.06 05:52 PM
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Would it be unreasonable to say that Senators and Representatives have an obligation to do what they can to honestly advocate for more people to join our armed forces? Is the "full support of the American government" inclusive of our recruiters who are going to visit after Kerry makes statements like that?
TM Lutas | 10.31.06 05:52 PM
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Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush?
I don't necessarily know that he was. If that was the case, why not come out immediately and explain that it was a joke that got mangled? Why make a first statement dragging all of the Republicans who never served in uniform into it, and then wait to make a second statement about the botched joke?
And anyway, assuming that he was digging at Bush's I.Q., isn't it kind of stupid (not to mention childish) of Senator Kerry to belittle the intelligence of someone who got better grades in college than he did?
Doug F | 10.31.06 05:56 PM
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Yeah right, "mangled in delivery", I think there is enough general knowledge to absolutely know that Kerry is a hypocrite, to say the least.
C. L. Tatum | 10.31.06 05:58 PM
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The comments certainly won't help the Democrats. They confirm the suspicions of many that Kerry and like-minded Liberals are elitest, self-important snobs, whose attitude toward the rest of us is as patrician to serf.
Frank Parkerson | 10.31.06 06:03 PM
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I guess I will never understand why liberals and Democrats are given a free pass for any nasty, sexual, racial, illegal things they say or acts they do while conservatives and republicans are tarred and feathered, hounded and pressured to resign at the least little comment. Just think it is the conservatives who are labeled "mean spirited" by the Liberals and the media when it is the liberals and democrats that say and do the worst things.
Sorry, but Kerry meant what he said. He hates the military and the young people who serve. He was not making a joke that went wrong. He was showing his true colors.
Brian H | 10.31.06 06:05 PM
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BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
.....Karl Rove disappeared into the dust, his wire transfer to the Massachussetts Senator's account having been confirmed. The Senator was such a pidgeon. So vain, so malleable.....
section9 | 10.31.06 06:06 PM
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I don't think there was intellectual dishonesty in believing Kerry meant what he said. I, for one, had no trouble believing Kerry intended to imply that the military is a haven for the oppressed, ignorant, and dull-witted. This is not an uncommon viewpoint. But, having heard the proffered explanation, I now believe it was actually supposed to be a lame Bush-is-dumb joke.
Kerry's self-defense is ridiculous, however, and displays a disingenuousness of its own, as he casually admits a "botched" joke while attacking the motivations of those who thought he meant what he said.
ss | 10.31.06 06:12 PM
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This is so stupid it annoys me to have it on national news. Anyone that is conscious would know there is no reason to dog our troops in anyway shape or form. What I thought he was saying was if you are extra lucky you wont go to Iraq because going to Iraq means trying to fight a battle with little more to work with than lip service. Everyone knows our troops have been neglected. How many books have been written on the subject in the last 3 or 4 years. The ONLY book I have seen that isn't empathetic toward our troops are those books written by politicians. I'm sick of non issue news coverage. Why doesn't the media just stop...we don't want to hear it!!!
SDB | 10.31.06 06:41 PM
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It is funny how leftists insist that their opponents are dumb, yet can't explain how their opponents are also 'rich'. They just can't grasp their self-contradicting nonsense.
Kerry's disdain for the troops just cost the Dumbocrats the majorities they could have gotten.
Twok | 10.31.06 06:41 PM
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Why should anyone defend Kerry? How can his words be misunderstood when everyone can hear them and make their own determination what he said. He attacked and insulted our troops.
My son is a sergeant in the US Marine Corps. He was a sophomore in college on 9/11, at a major university, not Pasedena City College. His grades were far better than those earned by Sen Kerry when he was an undergrad.
My son left college and joined the Corps after 9/11. A friend of his went to West Point. Another graduated from Harvard and then joined the Navy. Are they also stupid?
Kerry's comment was an outrage. Only by rewritting his words can you defend Kerry.
Bernie | 10.31.06 06:43 PM
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Are you saying Republicans have taken that line from "out of context" by not considering all of the other speeches Kerry has given?
Daryl Herbert | 10.31.06 06:45 PM
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Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush?
Well, Kerry said "you'll get stuck in Iraq", not "you'll end up in the White House."
So, no, I don't believe, at all, that Kerry was talking about President Bush.
Aren't Republicans being a bit intellectually dishonest by taking Kerry out of context?
Oh, please, Me. Left wing shill, please tell us what is the "context" that makes Kerry's remarks a Bush slam. We're waiting with baited breath for you to enlighten us.
Will the media treat Kerry fairly enough to report on his comments fairly?
You mean "are the media in the tank enough for the Democrats to try to spin this for Kerry?" The answer to that is "of course."
The real question is "will the media succeed in spinning this for Kerry?"
The answer to that, I think, is no.
Bush's comments sound right on the money. Good to hear that "idiot", unlike that "genius" Kerry, knows what to say.
Greg D | 10.31.06 06:47 PM
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Been trolling you Right Wings sites and have got to laugh. Everything you claim Kerry didn't say he did and everything Kerry said you haven't repeated. Kerry is completely correct. This shit just doesn't fly anymore. Get a life.
phil | 10.31.06 06:58 PM
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Report Kerry's comments fairly? You mean dissemble however long it takes to communicate "what he said is not what he meant..." Gee, didn't Kerry have an opportunity to clear up his comments? Instead he got combative and negative. Wow. What luxury, to say nasty marginal things and them get angry when someone asks - "hey, wasn't that a nasty, marginal thing to say? And how, exactly, does this help elect Angelides?" And in a state that is overwhelmingly Democratic party aligned, too. This is the "A" team for the Dems? [despite Kerry's "c" grades, of course - since we are talking about educational excellence] These are the vanguard of the party - you know, the people who constantly need small fry like "bloggers - smart and pragmatic - to come to their defense? Hmmm, they seem awfully feeble to me. (not exactly a projection of strength DAYS before an election, now is it?) Just a thought. [ha, ha, ha, ha. sigh. At this point Angelides cannot get press coverage if he lit himself on fire. He is Gray Davis without the charisma. What next, will Howard Dean appear with Angelides and strangle a kitten on live TV?]
Californio | 10.31.06 07:03 PM
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"If you don't you get stuck in Iraq." Given he is stuck in Iraq, did he just say he's dumb?
John Boy | 10.31.06 07:15 PM
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Ummmm, yeah. Except Kerry wasn't insulting the troops. He was insulting the guys who sloughed off during school and skated through on luck and family, and then got us stuck into the war.
The worst thing you can say about Kerry on this one is that he is a tongue tied horrible speaker who couldn't deliver a proper line if it was drawn on him.
NaR | 10.31.06 07:34 PM
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See a tongue-in-cheek posting that employs the same GOP tactic used in relation to Senator Kerry to creatively interpret remarks made by the President in the most unfavorable manner...here:
Daniel DiRito | 10.31.06 08:09 PM
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Politics as usual, I'm no Kerry fan but give me a break. He starts with the words "You know, education, if you make the most of it" clearly implying that the object of his words are the educated. If he had simply managed an “us” before stuck the meaning would be completely different. It really is amusing to watch a bunch of draft deferring politicians accuse a vet with an education of being against the troops. Bush and Cheney ran away from service to their country as fast as they could, they should shut up. That also goes for those of you sitting around calculating enlistment rates of the uneducated and recounting the deaths of educated servicemen, get a life. Kerry, education and all, enlisted, while your boys ran to the deferment line. Thanks for nothing.
JPM | 10.31.06 08:29 PM
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Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush?
This is hilarious. Yeah, we know that Kerry and the Democrats think that Bush is stupid (even though Bush got better grades at Yale than Kerry did). Jesus, talk about beating a dead horse. But, don't you think he should have mentioned Bush if he was referring to Bush. See, Bush isn't in Iraq, the American military is.
Even if he meant Bush, these are crocodile tears after Democrats' lame attempt to misconstrue and make a racial incident out of the Republican ad in Tennessee. Everyone following that race knows that the ad was making fun of Harold Ford's attendance at the Playboy Super Bowl party specifically because he was running an ad where he was in church talking about the values he learned there. There is a context that the media and other liberals ignored in order to manufacture an "incident" and misrepresent its meaning.
So your claims that Republicans are misconstruing Kerry's comments are pure projection. How about the Democrats get a clue and accept the fact that the cat is out of the bag: Kerry is an elitist. You're never going to convince anyone that he was talking about Bush.
jt007 | 10.31.06 08:30 PM
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Nothing and I mean nothing can energize Republicans more then this. This will not play well in Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, etc.
The Republicans can now simply make the point that a vote for a Dem is a point of view similiar to Kerry's.
Thanks John! No doubt he feels this way like many elite liberals do. They thinks they are better then people in the military, would never dare shop at a Walmart, etc.
Republicans are angry now and we're fired up
Adrianna | 10.31.06 09:09 PM
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If we Republicans are right- then EVERY parent and grandparent who told their child during the Vietnam War 'study hard,stay in school,avoid the draft' is scum.
Jerry Hersch | 10.31.06 09:22 PM
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Wasn't the Macaca issue a problem for Senator Allen because of his history of racially insensitive statements? Why doesn't the same standard apply here? We have Kerry's comments to the Senate in '71. His comments on This Week about American servicemen terrorizing Iraqis in the middle of the night. Then just recently calling them a miserable failure on a recent mission in Iraq. Kerry has a history of insensitive comment about our men and woman in the military.
G. Roberts | 10.31.06 09:37 PM
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You suggest that Republicans are being intellectually dishonest by taking Kerry out of context.
I have been looking for the context of these remarks -- not descriptions of the context, but actual audio, video, or transcripts.
Do you have it?
Patterico | 11.01.06 12:06 AM
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George W. Bush will be remembered in history for his greatness. My great grand children will be proud that I voted for him. When I am long gone people will say, "John Kerry? Who was he?" And someone in the crowd will know the answer and say "He was an idiot."
Kimberly MacDonald | 11.01.06 08:22 AM
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Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush? (We believe that Kerry was referring to Bush because he's used a similar formulation in our presence before and quite clearly meant to call Bush a dummy.)
Aren't Republicans being a bit intellectually dishonest by taking Kerry out of context?
Many Republicans believe Kerry disparaged the troops who served in Vietnam by comparing them to the army of Ghengis Khan (and not in a good way!).
Furthermore, I think many Republicans quite sincerely believe that Democrats, especially white liberal Democrats from the Northeast of Kerry's generation, do not have any special affinity for military service - certainly it is not something they do or would expect their sons and daughters to do (just look at military recruting from the Northeast, which lags the nation, Maine excepted).
More specifically, I imagine that many Democrats think that right now is a terrible time to enlist, since any new soldiers will be sent off to fight in Bush's failed, irrelevant war in Iraq.
So yes - I can easily believe Kerry mangled a joke, but prior to his "clarification" explaining that right wing nut-jobs like John McCain needed to get the wax out of their ears, I had no trouble believing that Kerry would be comfortable warning college kids that military service is a last choice, not a first choice.
As to Kerry's personal history - he enlisted in the Navy after all his deferments were up in order to avoid being drafted into the Army.
And the idea that it was "intellectually dishonest" to take Kerry's attemt at humor out of context sort of reverses time - until Kerry was criticized and delivered his "botched joke" explanation, the context was clear and obvious.
Tom Maguire | 11.01.06 11:01 AM
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ccl-onlinetr | 02.03.08 05:03 PM
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lostyand | 03.01.08 06:41 AM
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lostyand | 03.01.08 06:41 AM
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lostyand | 03.01.08 06:42 AM
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lostyand | 03.01.08 06:42 AM
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