Kerry shoots self in foot, reloads, shoots again
Did John Kerry end his political career?
Video here.
Philip Klein observes:
Kerry's statement is here.
The Boston Herald is embarassed.
My take is this: I don't know. On one hand, it's hard to believe that Kerry is that stupid. He may be. He's politically hapless. He's worse politically than Bush is at public speaking (if that's possible). On the face, Kerry is clearly saying that only stupid people would go to Iraq. The smart ones will find a way to get out of serving. I do think he believes that. He thinks that you have to be dumb to wind up in Iraq.
That said, I think its entirely possible that he did mean Bush. The problem is that it was, in no way, a joke. There was nothing in either speech or demeanor to say he was joking. It was a dig, not a joke. There's a big difference. If we assume that he, as he says, was attacking Bush, he's still an idiot for two reasons. He didn't stop to think how his remarks would have been received. He's talking to a group of college kids about "getting stuck in Iraq". What does he think that means to them in that context? There's no other way to interpret that in context. Second, he compounds the problem by saying "I apologize to no one". That's a clear indicator that he doesn't give a rat's ass if he offended the troops or that he was clumsy with his words.
If he had a single ounce of political acumen, he would have said something like: "I never meant to insult anyone serving in the armed forces. They deserve the highest praise for serving their country and a great many of them are highly educated and rank among the finest minds in America. My words were poorly chosen and misinterpreted, deliberately by some, to make it appear as if I was defaming our troops. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Kerry forgot the first rule of holes and it will come back to haunt him.
I'll bet Hillary was dancing a jig while watching this.
Update: LaShawn Barber, no friend of Kerry, defends him and I think she has the most plausible explanation for the gaffe.
Video here.
Philip Klein observes:
"What struck me about this comment beyond the obvious fact that it is insulting to our troops, is just how politically incompetent John Kerry is. Here we are, a week before Election Day, Democrats are favored to win back control of the House and possibly the Senate . . . But in this video Kerry, the party's most recent candidate for President and one of its most recognizable figures, is out there calling troops fighting in Iraq a bunch of morons."
Kerry's statement is here.
The Boston Herald is embarassed.
My take is this: I don't know. On one hand, it's hard to believe that Kerry is that stupid. He may be. He's politically hapless. He's worse politically than Bush is at public speaking (if that's possible). On the face, Kerry is clearly saying that only stupid people would go to Iraq. The smart ones will find a way to get out of serving. I do think he believes that. He thinks that you have to be dumb to wind up in Iraq.
That said, I think its entirely possible that he did mean Bush. The problem is that it was, in no way, a joke. There was nothing in either speech or demeanor to say he was joking. It was a dig, not a joke. There's a big difference. If we assume that he, as he says, was attacking Bush, he's still an idiot for two reasons. He didn't stop to think how his remarks would have been received. He's talking to a group of college kids about "getting stuck in Iraq". What does he think that means to them in that context? There's no other way to interpret that in context. Second, he compounds the problem by saying "I apologize to no one". That's a clear indicator that he doesn't give a rat's ass if he offended the troops or that he was clumsy with his words.
If he had a single ounce of political acumen, he would have said something like: "I never meant to insult anyone serving in the armed forces. They deserve the highest praise for serving their country and a great many of them are highly educated and rank among the finest minds in America. My words were poorly chosen and misinterpreted, deliberately by some, to make it appear as if I was defaming our troops. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Kerry forgot the first rule of holes and it will come back to haunt him.
I'll bet Hillary was dancing a jig while watching this.
Update: LaShawn Barber, no friend of Kerry, defends him and I think she has the most plausible explanation for the gaffe.
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