Maybe he meant the draft will be coming in the near future.

Something doesn't make sense... I can't believe he meant that towards our troops. He realizes many of our soldiers have entered the military right out of high school, with no college under their belts, no fault intended towards them, I believe. But this is the problem Kerry always seems to have. He is easily misunderstood. Wow.

this needs some context- it's like a non-event- Kerry's not too good on his feet as a speaker when straying from prepared remarks.

Not that I don't welcome anything that keeps him well away from any campaign trail, just to spare myself listening to him. But it seems like a stray "GOTCHA!" moment that is insignificant. He just misspoke. He does it a lot. 

I don't know if a stray remark could keep Kerry out or down as much as Kerry himself can! hahaa 

But- it's no Macaca moment, by any means. 

...in all fairness, yes...out of context it's impossible to know what he intended.

"In the end though, no one really gives a damn what you intended." -- a wise man

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3.htm

DRUDGE REPORT

FLASH: McCain Calls On Kerry To Apologize
Tue Oct 31 2006 11:43:14 ET

Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education. Americans from all backgrounds, well off and less fortunate, with high school diplomas and graduate degrees, take seriously their duty to our country, and risk their lives today to defend the rest of us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

They all deserve our respect and deepest gratitude for their service. 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, and should deeply offend any American with an ounce of appreciation for what they suffer and risk so that the rest of us can sleep more comfortably at night. Without them, we wouldn't live in a country where people securely possess all their God-given rights, including the right to express insensitive, ill-considered and uninformed remarks.

END

He does have a knack of making some well meaning points that can be taken out of context. Then he has explain what he meant over and over and over again. Like the comment about our troops kicking in doors in Iraq. I assume it was meant as statement that our troops have been put into a bad situation where they are forced to do this. Instead of coming out and speakly plainly and making the problem the point, he brings up the symptom or result and it gives fodder to the right.

Let me add that had Kerry won in 2004, the US would be in much better shape then it is now.

October 31, 2006
Statement of John Kerry Responding to Republican Distortions, Pathetic Tony Snow Diversions and Distractions

Washington – Senator John Kerry issued the following statement in response to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, assorted right wing nut-jobs, and right wing talk show hosts desperately distorting Kerry’s comments about President Bush to divert attention from their disastrous record:

“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.”

http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=33

"Some of them put on their cowboy boots and put their feet up on the desk." -Wes Clark

Ha! :X

Hi Ruth,

Kerry is correct in what he's saying.  A lot of Americans don't like that, and so they blame him for saying it, rather than looking at the facts of the situation.

During Vietnam, we had institutionalized class-ification (hyphen is purposeful).  The children of the wealthy, those who could go to college, could get deferments and thereby avoid the draft.  So the Vietnam War was fought primarily by those who couldn't get out of it.

Think of this as the "Jim Crow" South, institutionalized segregation, where blacks weren't allowed to live in white neighborhoods, attend white schools, eat at white restaurants, and the like.

Now we have an all-volunteer force.  As it turns out, a disproportionate percentage of those who volunteer do so because the military offers them opportunities they can't get otherwise: a way to pay for college, a chance at a VA loan for a house, etc.

Think of this as the "new" South, where there remain largely segregated neighborhoods because the people "choose to live among their own kind," where many black children still go to mostly black schools (because of those neighborhoods), where many black families still eat at "black" restaurants (where they feel more welcome), etc.

The divides are still there, both in class (who serves in the military) and in race (who lives where).  But we don't want to hear about those divides anymore, because now they're "voluntary."

What Kerry said is true.  We don't like that it's true.  So we attack him for daring to say it.

Cris Brown

I think he suffered a flash back to the 70s.

:x

This is not a time for a candidate who will offend no one; it is time for a candidate who takes clear stands and kicks ass.....Molly Ivins

in this instance I have to agree with him. WTH was Kerry thinking??? I sure hope the media doesn't attempt to paint the entire Dem party with that brush. Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid!

"COUNTRY before Party!" -- Wes Clark

Why can't Kerry do everyone a favor and just go to Europe or somewhere to take a ski vacation?

This was REALLY stupid. Him appearing on TV to explain himself and to make other pronouncements is just going to remind some segments of the voting public why they didn't vote Democratic in 2004.

Rush Limbaugh has very arrogantly but CORRECTLY said that his political opponents "haven't learned how to deal with people like me:"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184342,00.html

Transcript: Rush Limbaugh on 'Your World'

Thursday, February 09, 2006

LIMBAUGH: "Neil, there is a new media out there today that doesn't let the left get away with defining the news, defining the circumstances, defining personalities and so forth.

And they haven't learned how to deal with it. They haven't learned how to deal with people like me, the problems they think FOX News causes, and everybody else. They are still in their 30-year-old playbook, in which they think they still — all they have to do is, you know, portray somebody they want to portray them, and the American people will see it, swallow it, and like it."

John Kerry clearly did not know how to deal with this in March of 2005 shortly after he lost the 2004 election:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/350fnrnt.asp?pg=1

Kerry Loves the Mainstream Media
From the March 21, 2005 issue: . . . And has contempt for the American people.
by P.J. O'Rourke
03/21/2005, Volume 010, Issue 25

Kerry was led back to the main point by a question from the audience: "How [do we] stop the media from creating and perpetuating the divisive red state/blue state situation?"

Kerry looked sympathetically at Oliphant--a representative of the mainstream media--and answered as if Oliphant himself had asked the question. "Tom, I swear I don't have the answer to that. And I'm looking for it just like everybody else is..."

I just posted a remark on another story in this blog about General Clark distancing himself from John Kerry's remark about being "stuck in Iraq." This type of statement by Kerry hurts the Democrats. It's not justified because of any throwback to the draft in the 1960's when the rich kids were able to get out of Vietnam. That was then, and this is now.

The reason I find it offensive is that it denigrates the military in general. General Clark frequently says that there is no greater opportunity that young people have than to enter military service. With that opportunity, however, comes the responsibility to serve the county as directed by the Commander-in-Chief, however misguided he is. Make no mistake that he indeed both misguided and incompetent.

When John Kerry warns of being "stuck in Iraq," it is an implicit invitation to stay away from military service because of an incompetent president. I said on the other story that Kerry has become increasing bitter after his '04 loss, and I think his fiery rhetoric (too little, too late) results from an over-reaction to his atrocious, Bush-patronizing position on the war he had both prior to and during his run as president. I've said it before on this blog: When John Kerry said during the campaign that he still would have voted to authorize President Bush to invade Iraq, even if he knew there were no WMD's, the race was over.

I hope Kerry stays out of the contested races for the next week. These types of gaffes are not needed before a crucial election where the Democrats have a chance of neutralizing an autocratic president and his veep.

dismiss this for the mis-statement that it is and take it back on message of Admin failures while letting the opposition talking heads sound bitter with ridiculous spin and senseless bashing.

Less is more. Wasting time defending JK is wasting time.. Period.

http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2006/10/10/a-metaphor-or-a-fantasy/

A Metaphor or a Fantasy?
October 10th, 2006 4:49 am

If only the Democrats in Congress were this motivated towards our enemies.

Maher asked [Senator John Kerry] what he got his wife for her birthday. Kerry said that he took his wife to a lovely retreat in Vermont. Begin transcript:

Maher: You could have went to New Hampshire and killed two birds with one stone.

Kerry: Or, I could have gone to 1600 Pennsylvania and killed the real bird with one stone.

YouTube

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Listening to Kerry is like watching Captain Ramius of the Red October.

In 2004 about 3-4 days after the election a couple of neighborhood kids came over and said they were 'taking a poll' to see how people voted. I was skeptical but decided to go along with it. They said, "Did you vote for Kerry for us?" I said, "As a matter of fact, I did." The question asker sort of nodded and said, "Ok, thank you." They went on their way. I hated that.

I still say the Democratic nomination of John Kerry was a selfish, me-generation maneuver that cost us the White House.

What's cool about that video is the end of it, where Angelides sort of steps away from Kerry.

Do you believe John Kerry owes our troops in Iraq an apology?

http://www.loudobbs.com

Instead of apologizing and saying over and over "What I really meant was....," he took the opportunity to rake the Bush administration over the coals.

To me, just this sentence alone is solid gold: "I'm sick and tired of a whole bunch of Republican attacks, most of which come from people who never wore the uniform and never had the courage to stand up and go to war themselves."

And "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." Rock on!

I'm so glad he didn't back down. What he said yesterday was stupid--but it was a stupid MISTAKE (and not a particularly funny joke even if he'd said it right, but anyway). In his press conference today it would have been easy for him to get into the kind of excuse-making that he did during the campaign, reacting to their attack instead of attacking right back. Too bad we didn't see this side of him in 2004 or Ohio wouldn't have been close enough to steal.

dunno if anyone has mentioned this but yesterday Kerry was stumping for Angelides here in CA when he made that 'blunder'

Oy

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

I think that some of you give Kerry too much credit.  He's just one person, not the head of the party no matter how he considers himself.  And he's the same guy who "voted for it before he voted against it."  He doesn't have enough residual credibility to take the whole party down.

Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?