October 31, 2006
Daily Troika: McCain Slams Kerry For Troops Comment
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) wants an apology from Sen. John Kerry for comments the '04 Dem nominee made yesterday in CA that appeared to suggest that U.S. troops were not hard-working and intelligent.
Kerry, on 10/30: "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. And if you don't you get stuck in Iraq."
McCain, in Indianapolis today campaigning for Republicans, calls Kerry's remarks "insensitive, ill-considered" and "unfortunate." More, from McCain's statement: "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, and should deeply offend any American with an ounce of appreciation for what they suffer and risk so that the rest of us can sleep more comfortably at night." More from McCain: "Senator 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."
A Kerry adviser said that Kerry was referring to the general intellectual abilities of Pres. Bush and not U.S. troops. The quotation, the adviser admits, came out slightly "mangled."
Late 10/30, Kerry issued a response to criticism from WH press. sec. Tony Snow: "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. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I'm sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did."
Kerry aide David Wade: "When will John McCain ask his new Republican best friends George Bush and Dick Cheney to apologize for misleading America into war and giving us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it? John McCain's neoconservative pals are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor."
GOP bloggers and party officials are sending around a videotape of Kerry in the hopes that it will rally conservatives.
McCain plans to repeat his statement on camera in Indianapolis at 1:00 pm ET (Hotline)
Squibs:
(First Read)
Posted at 12:00 PM
Comments
This is crazy. No one cares more deeply about our troops than Senator Kerry. This statement is being used to smear a good man and McCain knows this. He is well aware of Kerry's committments to our troops. The outrage should be directed at this administration- they are the ones - along with McCain- who continue to support a failed stategy in Iraq that continues to waste our good soldiers lives.
Besides, Senator Kerry enlisted in the service after attending college,so the idea that he doesn't understand that many well educated people choose to join the service is just nonsense.
second edition | 10.31.06 12:59 PM
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If anyone's intelligence should be questioned, it is Kerry's. Of course, we knew this from the last presidential election.
La Beauceronne | 10.31.06 01:02 PM
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As a vet and a motivated voter, I take what Kerry said as another nail in the coffin of effete, arrogant charlatans like him disguised as distinguished public servents. He was a manipulative individual posing as a serviceman during vietnam for his own personal agenda in life - politics. Now he is a manipulative politician posing as a moral authority for his own personal agenda in life - to be as insulting to those who serve as anyone can possibly be.
Jack on Track | 10.31.06 01:13 PM
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I am angry that any honest person would believe that Senator Kerry would discredit our troops. He has been an active supporter in Congeress and continues to challange this administration to get it right in Iraq because our soldiers deserve the best leadership. How dare these Republicans questions Senator Kerry's support of our troops. They are again out to smear him to direct attention away from their failed policies.
second edition | 10.31.06 01:57 PM
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John Kerry mangled his statement. This is what he meant to say, which I got straight from Kerry's people:
“I can’t overstress the importance of a great education. 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.” - Senator John Kerry
Kerry's having a press conference later today. This is all a distraction from the Iraq war. Republicans are no doubt are loving it.
Taylor Marsh | 10.31.06 02:04 PM
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The fact is that the troops are not doing a good job in Iraq. We seem to be losing and apparently will be chased out soon, the way it happened in Viet Nam.
The REASON they are not doing a good job is poor (actually NO) leadership.
Thus, Kerry is right about the current leadership.
What kind of a war is one which we WIN, in 2003, and then just walk away and let 150,000 troops mill around aimlessly for years? Slowly staying the course of losing all we won.
We can't stay the course if all we get is wind in our sails!
John Williams | 10.31.06 02:12 PM
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My uncle Frank Olejar gave his life in the uniform of America or he would be one of the Republican hacks Mr. Kerry refers to in his statement. Flip flop flip flop, bull.
Fran millet | 10.31.06 02:37 PM
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I dont see the offensive suggestion in Kerry's comment. I dont even like Kerry, but McCain is way off base here.
Kerry's comment is a cheap shot, and a poor tactic to include that at the end as an afterthought, but what I interpreted Kerry as saying is 'you can do well if you are smart, provided you didnt [accidentally/get conned to] join the military and get stuck in Iraq [because you might die there].'
david | 10.31.06 02:53 PM
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I suppose some nuanced thinking is in order. It was very clear to me, that Sen.Kerry referred to the Commander in Chief who got us into this horrible mess, and is now stuck there and is asking for help from Europe and the M.E. . One needs to remember that Bush is considered to have gone AWOL while Cheny, Wolfowitz, nor any of the other members of the Bush cabal served in the armed services but are hellbend in sending our young children to their death in an illegal war based on lies. Sen.Kerry served this country, while most of those who scream the loudest have not. It's all a partisan hysteria!! It's typical GOP nastyness and I am tired of it. We need a change. We need a decent plan covering medications, and these new convoluted laws passed by Bush are screwing the American senior citizens of which I am one.
Geraldine Vaccaro | 10.31.06 10:55 PM
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The way I see it, it is about time John Kerry is caught looking human for once. Everyone thinks that Bush is dumb for saying a few words wrong or stuttering every now and then, but truth is he is human. If you notice Jonny Depp has a huge stuttering problem and yet he is still a wonderful actor. And now all you high and mighty Democrats can bring yourselves down from the arrogant high horse that you ride upon and see that we are all human. But Kerry was still very wrong for what he said, no matter if it was a stab at Bush or the troops. My uncle is in Iraq and I still support the war and I back Bush one hundered percent!
Kristi | 11.02.06 07:33 PM
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H. Klinton vs Obama. How you think who will win elections in Unated States of America?
XXXLKlintonLobby | 03.18.08 09:29 AM
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I won't wote for either one of those two! Thats for certain!
They're both manchurian candidates in my book!
They will say or do anything to get into the Oval Office from what I have seen so far!
NO_ONE | 04.20.08 04:29 PM
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