John Kerry makes ill-advised joke. John Kerry gets criticized. John Kerry gets shrill and vituperative:
But if anyone should apologize, Mr. Kerry said, it is President Bush and his administration officials who started the ill-conceived war. He said his remarks, which he conceded were part of a “botched joke,” had been distorted and called the criticism directed at him the work of “assorted right-wing nut jobs and right-wing talk show hosts.”
“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,” Mr. Kerry said in a statement. “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.”
“I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed-suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq,” Mr. Kerry went on. “It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.”
“Doughy Rush Limbaugh”?? What would David Broder say?
I’m really starting to enjoy this shrill and vituperative stuff…it’s everything you wished he would have said 2 years ago.
I gotta say, those are some fighting words. Too bad he didn’t fight back as hard in 2004. But I hope that he avoids putting his foot in his mouth any more this election cycle.
me too.
but i love the shrillness.
If I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re a high school student studying for the SATs with your sudden use of ‘vituperative’. You seem to enjoy employing that word quite often.
Speaking of which, are you going to DL tonight?
politicians can be to speak out when they’re not running for office (Kerry, Gore) — I like seeing a little less style and a lot more substance.
I heard the best political speech I’ve heard in years today (probably since Wellstone) and it was a Republican!!! Former Governor of MN Arne Carlson spoke at a luncheon I attended today and he literally had me in tears. I hope to get a transcript of the speech soon and maybe I’ll write a diary about it. What an inspiration he was.
Here in MN, we have had a few retired Republican politicians who have spoken powerfully about how radical and corrupt the current crop of Republicans are. While I might not agree with everything they propose, they are certainly a voice in the wilderness.
We’re counting on Republican cross-over especially those who no longer recognize their grand old party.
I’m no fan of Kerry after his 2004 let down but he has no apology to make – that is, if you read more than sound bites or clips. Kerry may have found his voice a little late but I hope he keeps the spotlight on the Bush/Cheney Iraq war.
The gloves are off. We need to fight back keep the focus on Iraq – spiraling into a super black hole.
Soon, Iraq will have been partitioned. Go read
Patrick Cockburn of The Independent, UK report, 11.01 edition: “Baghdad is under siege” – Iraq disintegrating..
October 2006 SIGIR Report, and six new Audit Reports now available. Running a little late this quarter, but always worth the wait.
I think Kerry just undercut his own party. This may cost two to five points in the average election. It might throw the whole election to the Republicans.
This is the October surprise.
What the hell was he thinking? Why in hell would he do something so stupid, so detrimental to his own party?
Why?
Because he’s a mole?
Just thinking…
He certainly did a good job in ’04.
Maybe KERRY is the October Surprise.
AG
Not a good thought to leave with the well-educated members of today’s voluntary military. I think Kerry should leave it to parents to encourage their sons and daughters to study, and to take advantage of the opt-out form which Grandmothers for Peace promote on their website. High school students file the form, so that the recruiters cannot contact them. http://themmob.org/lmca/
over at the Orange Empire…
What if Kerry just voiced what the majority of American voters have been thinking, especially with 100+ soldiers killed in Iraq just this month? And having it out in the open just solidifies their resolve for next week?
I’m more a glass-half-full type of person…I’m not throwing in the towel until all the votes are in/stolen…
that the foreign observers agree…
from Richard Greene BBC News’ Washington Reporter
we shall see…
God I hope not, but I get the feeling this controversy was planned by Kerry’s people to improve his fighting image and it really pisses me off. I hate to agree with Republican talking points, but we would be highlighting it right now if a Republican had said what Kerry said.
And even his prepared remarks* don’t make much sense applied to Bush. The one positive thing I can think of about Bush is that he does have a great education, whether he took advantage of it or not. As for being intellectually lazy, didn’t it come out in 2004 that Bush’s grades were better than Kerry’s grades? This is what Kerry chooses to make a joke about? Jesus. This whole controversy is just monumentally stupid.
There is no way I would vote for Kerry in 2008 now, if he is the nominee I will vote for a 3rd party candidate or stay home.
*”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.”
I agree that things might be different today if he’d shown that kind of fire when it counted. And, I like the shrill & vituperative (if Broder doesn’t like the fouth-mouthed so much, that’s okay).
But we still need a lot more discussion about NOVEMBER EIGHTH!
Take the poll:
http://www.boomantribune.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2006/10/30/214421/04
Go Kerry…he puts into perspective that those who are making the policy lack any military experience. He should have went after W too, because John Kerry never got released from service six months early so he could attend Harvard Business School.
And there was that General’s quote “was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions — or bury the results’. He added: ‘The cost of flawed leadership continues to be paid in blood’.” [3]
You hate him when he doesn’t speak up and when he speaks up, truth to the wingnut power grabbing SOBs you hate him. make up your mind folks. No wonder “they” say we can’t make a decision. We keep changing our minds as to just what it is we want from our reps.
Well he did put Iraq, back on the front page. Those Republicans have been running away from Iraq as fast as they can. “Stay the course”, “stratgery for Victory.”
What About:
5.) Sen.Jim Talent voted 23 times to cut Veterans benefits has he apologized,yet?
6.) We will be greeted as liberators..has Cheney apologized for his lies?
7.) How about W looking for WMD in the Oval Office, has he apologized for that yet?
unfortunately none of those issues will be part of the media reports. You’re going to get sound bites of Kerry’s gaff, followed by a Snow-job and a sycophantic screed from the media.
WTF was he thinking?!…obviously he was not
Well, the truth is that many people who do enlist is so they can get money to attend college. Not many millionaires on KP duty, no?
Thanks for saying this. These are the REAL issues & the REAL apologies that are needed. One question: What does “censure” Bush mean? If you’re calling for censure, are you calling for impeachment?
Like slapping Bush on the wrist for all the lies he told to get us into war in Iraq.
I like the truth to power statement, it was the ignorant way he got attention in the first place that makes me mad. Even accepting that he was talking about Bush instead of troops in general, it was still stupid. Kerry isn’t on the ballot, he shouldn’t be dominating a news day one week out from the election. This whole mess is about running for President in 2008, and he picked a incredibly bad time to narcissistically increase his profile.
If you want to get outraged, retype his initial foulup as a quote from Conrad Burns or George Allen and then read it back. Kerry made a huge mistake.
Sorry, I disagree. What was the mistake? That he said the president didn’t work hard at school or study the middle east and thus got us into a quagmire in Iraq? wHERE THE MISTAKE IS IS IN THE INTERPRETATION AND YOU ALLOWED THE WING NUTS TO TWIST WHAT HE SAID. hOW DOES THAT KOOLAIDE TASTE.
No, not the wingnuts, the media are the problem, they are actively twisting what Kerry said. The brief clip they play repeatedly leaves serious doubt about Kerry’s intentions, there is no way someone can listen to just that and be positive of what he meant. On the other hand, I saw the extended clip last night on Olbermann after posting and there is no doubt from it that Kerry was making lame jokes about Bush. I still think Kerry is a fool who relishes this chance to be the center of attention and get a do-over for 2004, but I am at a complete loss to give a credible explanation for why CNN, MSNBC and Fox can’t play the complete clip somewhere in their endless hours of coverage. Republicans aren’t the problem here, it is the media which chooses to echo and amplify their baseless victimhood.
Wow! First you blame Kerry because of a quote taken out of context but now it is the medias fault they didn’t show the whole speech. After seeing the speech you agree that Kerry was doing exactly what he stood up and defended and Kerry is still an asshole? 2004 has nothing to do with the Republican owned spin machine MSM and what just occurred. They got us to focus on what Kerry said and not what they have done to rape this country of its constitutuional rights and turning Iraq into a nonstop for profit warzone. Yep, lets blame Kerry.
What Kerry said was stupid even in context, even if you ignore the confusing way he flubbed his lines. Bush has an MBA from Harvard, he is far from an example of where lack of education leads. It just didn’t make sense. There are billions and trillions of reasonable things to criticize Republicans for, this wasn’t one of them. I’m sure the White House and talk radio fools were looking for something to get outraged over, but Kerry didn’t have to give them a sound bite that resonated so easily.
Anyway, I realize you don’t agree with me and we’re not going to change each other’s minds. The important thing now is moving back to more important and immediate issues.
*
Iraq: ‘The Greatest Strategic Disaster in American History’
*
From Eric @ BushFlash
OCTOBER 31, 2006
AS THE BLOODIEST MONTH IN OVER A YEAR ENDS, THE PENTAGON SWINGS INTO ACTION…
Sig:If the recent Lancet reports of 655,000 Iraqi deaths are true, a field of markers representing that tragedy 51′ wide (15.55 m) would be 21.14 miles (34.02 km) long.
(If markers were three feet apart in all directions, as in the Arlington Memorials around the Country)
Shame the Kerry comment allowed the media to keep this big death toll as a minor story to assist the Repubs.
I’m certainly not a politically savvy person, but my first take is that Kerry would probably not have made the remark if he thought about it a bit before opening his mouth. However, if this “costs us the election” then it wasn’t ours to begin with. Personally, I am encouraged by his “shrillness” in his response to GOP critics today. Chickenhawks can squawk all they want, but they are all still what they are. I believe the American public is finally catching on to how they have been duped by Bushco. Duped into a war in Iraq, duped about prescription drug care, duped about “free” trade agreements and so on. Swiftboating Kerry might have worked the first time, I think it may have the opposite effect this time. But like I said, I’m not wise in the ways of national politics.
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:
http://www.thoughttheater.com
Wether Kerry meant it or not, He’s Right!!
And just keep in mind, and site/hearing, who are the ones doing the Bashing, from AWOL pResident, to ‘chickenhawk’ press secratary, to fat boy drug addict cyst on butt, to flamers galore All ‘chickhawks of the 101st fighting keyboards!!
Now that they’ve reminded us of Their ‘Patriotic’ Duty to Country, just keep it in mind in any dim witted points they try to make!!
I remember when I was in college (late 70’s) and when I graduated (early 80’s), just about everyone I knew went into the service, for one reason–the economy tanked and no jobs were available.
I actually wanted to enlist so I could get a decent paying job, as opposed to working multiple minimum wage bullshit w/no benefits. Couldn’t because of my epilepsy.
Car plants weren’t hiring, only jobs available were the post office. Veterans hiring preference got you in, AUTOMATICALLY. Civilian with a perfect score? You had to know someone (sometimes that didn’t even do any good) or you were screwed.
Same thing is going on today, people working multiple jobs just to survive.
The John Kerrys of this world do nothing more than talk a good game. He knows jack about reality.
Kerrys comment may fire up a proportion of the repub base that wasnt fired up before. That is probably how the repubs are using this. It probably wont change much in reality although if the Dems underperform in the election no doubt the media will identify this as the reason.
Another point about Kerrys comment is will some independents and soft Dems be fired up by the inherent truth in it.