*flap, flap, flap* [now with added content]

[digitaldiscipline]

ETA: xn's comments here, and gruamach's own, right here, because they're veterans who have some interesting things to say on the subject.

Kerry's actual "joke": "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."

As has been widely reported, that's not how it came out sounding. Regardless, it's interesting watching the "liberal media" try and tar & feather Kerry over his criticism of a guy who dodged combat by having daddy pull strings to get him into the National Guard and then spent most of his service inexplicably AWOL, and who is supported by such an exemplary list of those who serv-- oh, wait.

* VP Dick Cheney - several deferments, by marriage and timely fatherhood.
* Karl Rove, occasional Deputy Chief of Staffand alleged full time smear artist, escaped the draft and did not serve
* Secretary of State and former NSA Condaleeza Rice - did not serve
* Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve.
* Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - did not serve.
* Republican Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - did not serve.
* Rush Limbaugh - did not serve
* Sean Hannity - did not serve
* Ann Coulter - did not serve
* Bill O'Reilly - did not serve

John, do you have anything to say for yourself, in light of the facts?

"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.

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 . 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.

The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans 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.

Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they're afraid to debate real men. And this time it won't work because we're going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq ."

Comments

[ex-xn667.livejournal.com]

Between this view and my own 'worst case scenario' view I posted about, I'm behind him either way. Whether he meant the comment about the president or about the fate of uneducated American youth, I'm good with it.

Another article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061101/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_kerry) I just picked up on has one of his spokespeople, Amy Brundage, saying that the prepared text actually read, "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. Just ask President Bush."

Phrased that way, it's a much smaller stretch to believe he just tripped over his words. Paranoid fuck that I am, though, I have no way of knowing if "prepared text" is prepared after the fact, heh, but what the hell, I'll go with it.

Regardless, I like the quote you pulled and I like your take on it. The hypocrites in this administration should be the very last people allowed to play the "dignity of the troops" card. I guess maybe they conveniently forget that when they're slashing VA benefits, eh?

[etcet.livejournal.com]

The source for most of the above material is dailykos.

[ex-xn667.livejournal.com]

bout damned time i checked that out, eh? oddly enough, on hitting his "About" link, it seems he occasionally freelances for a magazine published in my office building, American Prospect.

*sigh* does this mean i have to come out of my cave now? crap

[theonebob.livejournal.com]

John Kerry should have said what he meant up front. The "joke" was not neccessary to get his point across. He should apologize for saying something that sounded stupid thusly: "Hey, that was a pretty dumb thing for me to say and I'm sorry. What I really meant was..." That would take the teeth out of what the Conservative Punditry is doing now. Bush is a twit and Kerry's not much better.

[razerwolfe.livejournal.com]

It was hilarious listening to Herman Munster, I mean, Kerry, come out all blustering and swinging in answer to the justified ire over what he actually said, regardless of what he meant to say. Once again a public official doesn't seem to understand how to apologize when they make an actual gaff. It's simple John, apologize for maligning the troops with your misstatement and then turn around and state what you actually wanted to say. Coming out all puffed up and beligerent just makes you look more like the elitist NE Liberal who has no grasp of what the little guy really has going on, and less like someone who is concerned, sincerely concerned, for the people of this country.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

Because we all know the current administration gives to farts in a stiff wind for the good of the people of this country, right?

[razerwolfe.livejournal.com]

LOL. I'm of the opinion that damn few people IN power or those that are currently SEEKING power really give any margin of shit about the People of the Country, or even the Country itself. Power is the prize. I'd like to be proven wrong one day.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

Plan on living forever, do you?

[whomajigi.livejournal.com]

The more he opens his mouth, the more I feel he's a spy for the Republican party. I agree with his "oops, I fucked up" speech, but 90% of the population will only hear the part about how he insulted the troops and make their judgements on him based solely on that.