Kerry can say that it was a botched joke all he wants, but his statements and declarations have not cast doubt on what he meant. He either consciously or subconsciously dislikes our military and his disdain for the military shines through at times like this.
Even some prominent liberals have taken note. Don Imus thinks Kerry would best serve Democrats by shutting up and going windsurfing or biking. Anything to get out of the way of destroying whatever chances Democrats had of retaking the House or Senate.
Kerry still thinks he's botched a joke. Sorry, but that doesn't cut it. He hasn't apologized for botching the joke. He thinks that we're rubes who have misinterpreted his statement, but the statement speaks for itself.
Kerry is an embarrassment. Don't take my word for it. Take the Boston Herald's.
Candidates around the country are realizing the repercussions of Kerry's gaffe, and his appearances are being cancelled around the nation. He doesn't want to be a distraction to the Party in the final days? Sorry, but it's too late. Your foot in mouth disease is all too prominent and the damage has been done. You cannot undo the damage, and your mealy mouth non-apologies only reinforce the disdain you have for the men and women of the US Armed Forces.
Sharp repercussions and rebukes? Hell yes. Did Kerry gift the 2006 elections to the Democrats? Quite possibly. Kerry now has to spend the next week in damage control mode and defending the indefensible, while the GOP can not only slam Kerry, but the Democrats at large who harbor similar sentiments.
This beats anything Karl Rove could have contemplated as an October surprise, unless Kerry was on the Rove payroll.
UPDATE:
The GOP is breaking out the big guns. Let the ads commence (HT: digger12291970 at LGF.) Don't expect any apologies though. Kerry doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He thinks that we're the dumb ones who misinterpreted his lame joke. Sorry, but few are buying it. Even fewer should buy it because it fits his pattern of disdain for the US Armed Forces.
Where are the leading Democrats to come out and call for Kerry's full and proper apology? Thus far, nothing but crickets. That speaks volumes about what they think of the military and those who would consider serving. The reactions should have been immediate. Heck, I'm just as patriotic as the next guy or gal, and thought Kerry should have apologized immediately. Why don't the likes of Pelosi, Dean, Clinton (both), Kennedy, and Schumer call for an apology? Are they putting their own political ambitions ahead of the apology - to watch Kerry flame out any chances of a run for 2008? Do they agree with Kerry? This is a no-win situation for those leading Democrats - because they've got to defend the indefensible.
Ed Morrissey notes the Rube Goldbergesque contortions that Kerry must endure to try and salvage this so-called joke.
Others blogging: Flopping Aces, Gaius, and Michelle Malkin (and here).
UPDATE:
Democrat candidate for Senate Harold Ford, who's in a tough race in Tennessee with Bob Corker, has called on Kerry to apologize. Kerry's appearance with Bob Casey in Pennsylvania was cancelled. An Iowa candidate cancelled their appearance with Kerry.
Kerry has made his name and likeness radioactive going into the homestretch of a pivotal election that would determine control of Congress. Way to go!
UPDATE:
Jon Tester also calls on Kerry to apologize. That's in stark contrast to the Leftists who are rallying behind Kerry because he was speaking the truth. Well, that's what I've been saying all along. Kerry is telling you exactly what he thinks of the military and those that serve. It just bears absolutely no resemblance to reality, or what a majority of Americans think of those who serve. However, Kerry's comments do appear to jibe with many on the hard Left.
LaShawn Barber and Brendan Loy think that Kerry would be insane to publicly immolate himself by saying that the military is stupid. I'd strenuously disagree with them because Kerry's MO over the past 30+ years has been to show nothing but utter contempt for those in the Armed Forces. His repeated statements and gaffes have all been in one direction - disparaging the military and those who serve. That cannot be a coincidence.
Greg at the Belgravia Dispatch wonders whether this will have any effect on the races decided next week. From the look of the various candidates who are calling for apologies or distancing themselves from Kerry, I'd say that the politicians and their advisors think it could do serious damage. Democrat candidates in red states clearly do not want to be associated with this nonsense, and those in tight races would be similarly concerned.
Others blogging: Big Lizards, Macranger, AJ Strata, Hyscience, and memeorandum has constant updates.
UPDATE:
John McCain again calls for Kerry to apologize. Good luck with that. Kerry is digging in his heels and is doing the non-apology apology. That isn't cutting it with the military either. Some take the humorous approach, while some are calling for his resignation from the Senate.
UPDATE:
What we've got here is another non-apology apology.
Thrust into the midst of the midterm election campaign, Sen. John Kerry apologized Wednesday to "any service member, family member or American who was offended" by remarks deemed by Republicans and Democrats alike to be insulting to U.S. forces in Iraq.Let's get this straight. Just 24 hours after saying that he wasn't sorry and wouldn't apologize for anything, he's now saying that he's apologized to those who were offended by remarks. Michelle Malkin's emailer got it right:
Six days before the election, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee said he sincerely regretted his words were "misinterpreted to imply anything negative about those in uniform."
Kerry said that if anyone thought his remarks were intended for the military then they were crazy.This isn't an apology. He was saying only yesterday that if you thought that his statement was offensive to the military you were crazy. Now, he's claiming to apologize to those who were offended by his remarks. No wonder so many people are genuinely outraged over his statements.
Yet he apologized today for remarks that he made if people took offense.
Well, if folks took offense that means that they thought his remarks were offensive to the military.
That means that he called those folks to whom he apologized CRAZY.
Anyone else finding a wee bit of dissonance between his two statements? A flip flop perhaps? Or maybe that Kerry's nuanced apology isn't much of an apology because he's still offending those who were offended in the first place with his condescension. Kerry continues to think that its our interpretation that is flawed, not his utterances.
Here's the thing. This isn't a one-off event. Kerry has a history of making such statements. His record of making these statements makes the likelyhood that this was a botched joke less reasonable to an observer.
Big deal that he went to college - he did worse than President Bush, who he regularly lampoons and calls stupid. He served in the Navy (after being unable to be deferred yet more times). His service is not being questioned, but his every utterance about the military since he went into politics has been anti-military, going back to the Winter Soldier hearings. This has nothing to do with Bush, Cheney, or the GOP. It has everything to do with what John Kerry said about the US military and those that serve in an all-volunteer force - one that is the most highly educated in our history and one whose educational background is superior to that of the general public.
Technorati: john kerry, support the troops, democrat, politics.
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