Uproar over Kerry Iraq remarks - Debates

~~Donna~~ · 10-31-2006, 07:16 PM

Uproar over Kerry Iraq remarks
Bush says troops deserve apology; Kerry says joke aimed at president
NBC VIDEO

• Kerry: Get educated, or 'get stuck in Iraq'
Oct. 31: Sen. John Kerry tells California students that those unable to navigate the country’s education system will “get stuck in Iraq.”
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Updated: 32 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The White House and Sen. John Kerry traded their harshest accusations since the 2004 presidential race on Tuesday, with President Bush accusing the Democrat of troop-bashing and Kerry calling the president's men hacks who are "willing to lie."

The war of words, tough even for this hard-fought campaign season, came after Kerry told a group of California students on Monday that those unable to navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."

The two parties are searching for any edge amid indications Democrats could take back the House and possibly win control of the Senate in next week's midterm elections. Though neither Bush nor Kerry is on any ballot, the bitterness with which they fought each other as 2004 rivals spilled over as both campaign hard for their parties in a race shaped in large measure by public doubts about the Iraq war.

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White House press secretary Tony Snow was asked about Kerry's comment at his regular briefing with reporters, and had clearly come prepared with a lengthy attack. He said the quote "fits a pattern" of negative remarks about U.S. soldiers from the decorated Vietnam veteran and suggested that whether Democratic candidates - particularly those running on their military service backgrounds - agree with their 2004 standard-bearer should be a campaign litmus test.

Bush statement asks for apology
The White House also released in advance remarks Bush was to deliver later in the day while campaigning in Georgia, in which the president called Kerry's statement "insulting and shameful." Bush, like his spokesman earlier, said soldiers deserve an apology from Kerry.

"Our troops did not enlist because they did not study hard in school or do their homework," Bush said in his prepared remarks for a former GOP congressman, Mac Collins, who is trying to oust Democratic Rep. Jim Marshall. "The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer armed forces are plenty smart and are serving because they are patriots."

Related material
Live vote: Were Kerry’s comments appropriate?
Discuss: Should Kerry apologize for ‘troop bashing’?

Kerry, who is considering another run for the White House in 2008, angrily fired back.

His statement called Republicans "assorted right-wing nut jobs."

And at a hastily arranged news conference in Seattle, Kerry said: "I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy."

Kerry explanation
Kerry said the comment in question was "a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops ... and they know that's what I was talking about."

It came during a campaign rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. Kerry opened his speech at Pasadena City College with several one-liners, saying at one point that Bush had lived in Texas but now "lives in a state of denial."

He then said: "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."

That, Kerry said, was meant as a reference to Bush, not troops. Kerry said it is the president who owes U.S. soldiers an apology - for "a Katrina foreign policy" that misled the country into war in Iraq, failed to adequately study and plan for the aftermath, has not properly equipped troops and has expanded the terrorist threat.

The Massachusetts Democrat called the White House attack "a classic GOP textbook Republican campaign tactic" that reveals Republicans' "willingness to reduce anything in America to raw politics."

"I'm sick and tired of a bunch of despicable Republicans who will not debate real policy, who won't take responsibility for their own mistakes, standing up and trying to make other people the butt of those mistakes," he said. "It disgusts me that a bunch of these Republican hacks who've never worn the uniform of our country are willing to lie about those who did."

Unsubstantiated allegations about Kerry's Vietnam War heroism from a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth figured prominently in the 2004 Kerry-Bush race. Even Kerry has blamed his slow and uncertain response to the group's claims for helping to doom his White House chances, and Democrats viewed the Tuesday fracas as a test of that lesson.

"Enough is enough. We're not going to stand for this," Kerry said. "We are going to stay in their face with the truth."

Election issue?
Other Republicans, sensing opportunity for their side, piled on throughout the day with their own demands for an apology from Kerry.

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GOP Sen. John McCain, like Kerry a decorated Vietnam veteran and a potential 2008 rival, said while campaigning for Republican candidates in Indiana that "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 today."

Added House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., struggling to keep his party in control of Congress: "Our soldiers risk their lives in the face of grave dangers on the battlefield, and no one who chooses to courageously and selflessly defend our country can be considered 'uneducated.' "

Separately, the White House issued President Bush's Veterans' Day proclamation praising those who have served in the armed forces - a week and a half before the holiday.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Rate this story Low High

I believe that he does need to apologize for the way his screw up came out as. He doesnt have to apologize for how he feels about Bush, Iraq, nothing. Just stand up, be a man, admit you botched your speech and apologize to the troops. That you dont think they are all uneducated and dumb! Geez, how freaking hard is that?

~Stephie~ · 10-31-2006, 07:18 PM

To me he's a cocky man.. always has been and he needs to accept he made a mistake and fess up and apologize. If he didn't "mean" to say it he needs to apologize instead of being arrogant like he's being. I'm so sick of all the BS from the politicians

10-31-2006, 07:32 PM

**** stupid politicians.....im so sick and tired of hearing about their bull****. i like kerry, but if he really did say that...he needs to fess up, apologize, and move on with it. i can understand him not liking bush...but don't blame the troops (if that was really what he was doing).

Ellen · 10-31-2006, 07:34 PM

What an *******! Obviously he needs a little better education about today's military......a MUCH smarter military than his day.

Becca · 10-31-2006, 07:55 PM

I heard him say it, and I couldn't believe it when he did. Then everyone went ape**** - which was, IMO, absolutely justified. Now Kerry is coming back saying it wasn't a putdown to the soldiers and the republicans are just trying to spin it...

He's full of ****, and I don't know WHAT he thought he stood to gain with a comment like that.

I already have blood boiling opinions of John Kerry and his opinions of proper military actions/comments...all he did was fuel my fire.

harrisonsdream · 10-31-2006, 08:49 PM

lighthouse very well said

to you!!! he's a prick and honestly he can

where the f*ck does he get off saying **** like that?

BANDIT953 · 10-31-2006, 09:09 PM

I saw this and was sooo freaking angry. My boyfriend is not spending his first year in the navy in school because he's stupid. Jay is really smart, he just never liked high school and homework.

I called Jaymes and asked him what he thought about it and he was pretty pissed.

Polkadot · 10-31-2006, 09:23 PM

I just saw this on the news ! Kerry can KISS IT !!! I cannot stand him and his MOUTH !!!!!

leftover · 10-31-2006, 09:43 PM

"ONLY DUMMIES END UP IN IRAQ.",says Senator Kerry..

Oh, did that piss me off more then I can say.. I THANK THE LORD that this man is NOT the Commander In Chief...He obviously has no respect for our boys, and therefore IMO, is underqualified to lead them if that's what he truely thinks about them...

How dare he emmulate that my man isn't smart? My man may not be the best speller in the world, he might not know everything about "booksmarts" like chemistry and algebra... But he's obviously got a whole lot more intelligence then that man...

My friend Kelly posted this on her blog tonight:

Way to insinuate that our military service members in Iraq are not smart, Senator Kerry. That's a nice way to boost morale. I guess my husband's Ivy League engineering degree just wasn't enough to keep him out of Iraq. Kerry did go to Yale - maybe that's why my husband's degree from Harvard doesn't count as "an effort to be smart" and didn't keep him from getting "stuck in Iraq."

In any case, I'm still not impressed. Just another politician eager to criticize with very little to say about how to actually fix anything. *sigh*
Well said Kelly...

BAH!!! Happy Halloween...

ash · 10-31-2006, 09:45 PM

this seriously pissed me off. he NEEDS to apolgise.
i used to like him, this seriously changes how i feel.

10-31-2006, 07:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
~~Donna~~ Banned Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New Orleans Posts: 16,885 Blog Entries: 1 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 0% Longevity: 99%	Uproar over Kerry Iraq remarks Uproar over Kerry Iraq remarks Bush says troops deserve apology; Kerry says joke aimed at president NBC VIDEO • Kerry: Get educated, or 'get stuck in Iraq' Oct. 31: Sen. John Kerry tells California students that those unable to navigate the country’s education system will “get stuck in Iraq.” MSNBC INTERACTIVE • 2006 key races The races to watch. POLITICAL RESOURCE • Find your elected officials • Search for '06 candidates • More of Your Government • Follow the campaign in our Decision 2006 day-by-day timeline. Updated: 32 minutes ago WASHINGTON - The White House and Sen. John Kerry traded their harshest accusations since the 2004 presidential race on Tuesday, with President Bush accusing the Democrat of troop-bashing and Kerry calling the president's men hacks who are "willing to lie." The war of words, tough even for this hard-fought campaign season, came after Kerry told a group of California students on Monday that those unable to navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq." The two parties are searching for any edge amid indications Democrats could take back the House and possibly win control of the Senate in next week's midterm elections. Though neither Bush nor Kerry is on any ballot, the bitterness with which they fought each other as 2004 rivals spilled over as both campaign hard for their parties in a race shaped in large measure by public doubts about the Iraq war. Story continues below ↓ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- White House press secretary Tony Snow was asked about Kerry's comment at his regular briefing with reporters, and had clearly come prepared with a lengthy attack. He said the quote "fits a pattern" of negative remarks about U.S. soldiers from the decorated Vietnam veteran and suggested that whether Democratic candidates - particularly those running on their military service backgrounds - agree with their 2004 standard-bearer should be a campaign litmus test. Bush statement asks for apology The White House also released in advance remarks Bush was to deliver later in the day while campaigning in Georgia, in which the president called Kerry's statement "insulting and shameful." Bush, like his spokesman earlier, said soldiers deserve an apology from Kerry. "Our troops did not enlist because they did not study hard in school or do their homework," Bush said in his prepared remarks for a former GOP congressman, Mac Collins, who is trying to oust Democratic Rep. Jim Marshall. "The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer armed forces are plenty smart and are serving because they are patriots." Related material Live vote: Were Kerry’s comments appropriate? Discuss: Should Kerry apologize for ‘troop bashing’? Kerry, who is considering another run for the White House in 2008, angrily fired back. His statement called Republicans "assorted right-wing nut jobs." And at a hastily arranged news conference in Seattle, Kerry said: "I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy." Kerry explanation Kerry said the comment in question was "a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops ... and they know that's what I was talking about." It came during a campaign rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. Kerry opened his speech at Pasadena City College with several one-liners, saying at one point that Bush had lived in Texas but now "lives in a state of denial." He then said: "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." That, Kerry said, was meant as a reference to Bush, not troops. Kerry said it is the president who owes U.S. soldiers an apology - for "a Katrina foreign policy" that misled the country into war in Iraq, failed to adequately study and plan for the aftermath, has not properly equipped troops and has expanded the terrorist threat. The Massachusetts Democrat called the White House attack "a classic GOP textbook Republican campaign tactic" that reveals Republicans' "willingness to reduce anything in America to raw politics." "I'm sick and tired of a bunch of despicable Republicans who will not debate real policy, who won't take responsibility for their own mistakes, standing up and trying to make other people the butt of those mistakes," he said. "It disgusts me that a bunch of these Republican hacks who've never worn the uniform of our country are willing to lie about those who did." Unsubstantiated allegations about Kerry's Vietnam War heroism from a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth figured prominently in the 2004 Kerry-Bush race. Even Kerry has blamed his slow and uncertain response to the group's claims for helping to doom his White House chances, and Democrats viewed the Tuesday fracas as a test of that lesson. "Enough is enough. We're not going to stand for this," Kerry said. "We are going to stay in their face with the truth." Election issue? Other Republicans, sensing opportunity for their side, piled on throughout the day with their own demands for an apology from Kerry. interactive • Analyzing the 2008 presidential field GOP Sen. John McCain, like Kerry a decorated Vietnam veteran and a potential 2008 rival, said while campaigning for Republican candidates in Indiana that "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 today." Added House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., struggling to keep his party in control of Congress: "Our soldiers risk their lives in the face of grave dangers on the battlefield, and no one who chooses to courageously and selflessly defend our country can be considered 'uneducated.' " Separately, the White House issued President Bush's Veterans' Day proclamation praising those who have served in the armed forces - a week and a half before the holiday. © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Rate this story Low High I believe that he does need to apologize for the way his screw up came out as. He doesnt have to apologize for how he feels about Bush, Iraq, nothing. Just stand up, be a man, admit you botched your speech and apologize to the troops. That you dont think they are all uneducated and dumb! Geez, how freaking hard is that?

10-31-2006, 07:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
~Stephie~ Finding my own path! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 22,181 Blog Entries: 1 Classifieds: (1) Activity: 9% Longevity: 68%	To me he's a cocky man.. always has been and he needs to accept he made a mistake and fess up and apologize. If he didn't "mean" to say it he needs to apologize instead of being arrogant like he's being. I'm so sick of all the BS from the politicians __________________ Every Ending is Another Beginning!!!! "For I know the plans I have for you", Says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11 The cup of e runneth over...

10-31-2006, 07:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ellen Loving Life! Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 21,995 Blog Entries: 4 Classifieds: (2) Activity: 6% Longevity: 64%	What an *******! Obviously he needs a little better education about today's military......a MUCH smarter military than his day. __________________ My Guys!!

10-31-2006, 09:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
BANDIT953 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 1,960 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 4% Longevity: 52%	I saw this and was sooo freaking angry. My boyfriend is not spending his first year in the navy in school because he's stupid. Jay is really smart, he just never liked high school and homework. I called Jaymes and asked him what he thought about it and he was pretty pissed. __________________ Nicki Caleb Holt: Marriage isn't fireproof. Michael Simmons: Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it. -Fireproof

10-31-2006, 09:45 PM	#10 (permalink)
ash i love the red sox Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 15,128 Blog Entries: 1 Classifieds: (1) Activity: 51% Longevity: 68%	this seriously pissed me off. he NEEDS to apolgise. i used to like him, this seriously changes how i feel. __________________ relaying for the bff, as always, but on his behalf this year as well. i would love for him to win #1 top fundraiser. Every single dollar counts!

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10-31-2006, 07:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
brentsgirl Guest Posts: n/a Activity: 0% Longevity: 0%	** stupid politicians.....im so sick and tired of hearing about their bull**. i like kerry, but if he really did say that...he needs to fess up, apologize, and move on with it. i can understand him not liking bush...but don't blame the troops (if that was really what he was doing).

10-31-2006, 08:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
harrisonsdream Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 52,170 Blog Entries: 1 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 0% Longevity: 67%	lighthouse very well said to you!!! he's a prick and honestly he can where the fck does he get off saying *** like that?

10-31-2006, 09:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
Polkadot Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Monterey California ! Near Da' Beach again !!! Posts: 5,360 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 1% Longevity: 81%	I just saw this on the news ! Kerry can KISS IT !!! I cannot stand him and his MOUTH !!!!!