Political Punch

I think Sen. John Murtha is the biggist ass in congress. He is contantly undurming this country. I wish the ass would just get the hell out and leave the war to the the people running it. Jhon Murtha, You suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you John Kerry for your service to our country. No thanks for the disgusting way you addressed the rest of us still doing the job out here in the sand box. Kerry has a limited grasp on the cliff that is reality and no offense to you die-hard liberals out there but if it was me who stood at the top, I'd push him off.

- Anthony, 379 AEW

Come on now.

We know that all politicians are self centered pompous schumcks who think of only one thing... Getting re-elected and possibly a pay grade increase.

That being said the joke should be... "if your smart be a politician and run the country(into the ground), rather then have to work for a living."

Stop whining online, and go do something about it.

You know what's really pathetic about these democrats? A brewing pot of knuckle-dragging NEANDERTHALS who want to re-occupy the congress and the white house. After so many years of tax increases to support their spending habits almost broke our beloved country. I am a soldier with the U S Army for 23 active duty yrs last month. Then a comment by such an imbecile of a democrat "jon carry" someone should've slapped him on his pathetic big head. I am not happy with those remarks and I will dwell on that for a long time, considering I am an Iraqi Freedom veteran: OIF 1, March 2003 - April 2004. That was a long tour. So "jhon carri" I forgot how your name was spelled, but have a good time campaigning for your political demise you so-and-so!!!

John Kerry doesn't deserve to be Commander in Chief over the people he calls morons. We all heard him. If you find yourself in the military you are not smart, that is basically what I got. He is a disgrace to the US military.

Airmen Trainee Schlichting (Still havent gone to basic! got my date though!)

If Kerry really was making a joke and flubbed his lines the freaking say so! He didnt! He said he had nothing to apologize for and that it was a joke. Not that it was a flubbed up line! Just keep on being lied to by this idiot.
The line should have been...

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, and if you don’t you get stuck in Iraq OR you could just marry rich woman and spew your retardness all over america by becoming a senator.

Dems wont learn though...

I THINK KERRY SHOUD GO TO ONE OF OUR TROOPS FUNERAL, AND HE SHOULD TELL THE FAMILY "I'M SORRY YOUR SON/DAUGHTER IS DEAD, BUT MAYBE IF HE/SHE WAS SMART ENOUGH HE WOULDNT BE DEAD." THEN SEE IF KERRY STILL THINKS IT A JOKE. BECAUSE I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE THAT THE FAMILY WOULDN'T FIND IT FUNNY. OUR FAMILY IS OVER IN IRAQ FIGHTING FOR HIS FAMILY AND OURS AND THAT IS THE THANKS THEY GET. NICE MAN!

jeez, when I heard how the Republicans were going nuts about this comment, I thought they were really underestimating the American people. Republicans know that Kerry flubbed a line in his speech (that originally read: "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 us stuck in Iraq. "Ask President Bush.''
But they're ACTING like Kerry meant to attack the troops...not because they beleive it, but because they think the general public is ignorant and uniformed enough to believe it. I thought they were wrong, until I read the responses to this post. Do you all understand that Kerry flubbed a line? Are you acting all indignant even though you know this in order to spread the word to others who are too dumb too know what actually happened. Or do you just not believe that reality is important?

John Kerry is from the generation where literally it was College or War. Today thats not the case, we are an all volunteer military. Kerry didn't botch any joke, he just opened his mouth without thinking first. Bush didn't do his school work???? um until you guys graduate from Yale and get an NVA from Harvard I don't think you can judge that. As a member of the Military I am deeply offended and hurt by what he said and the fact that he didn't apologize right after he said proves he's worthless. Liberals DO NOT support the troops, deep down you want us to lose!
Specialist Perry
173rd Airborne Brigade

John Kerry is being bashed because he blew a
punch line.

When he made that joke, he was trying to make the
following point: Because George Bush failed to
do his homework, we are now stuck in Iraq. He
was not trying to insult the intelligence of our
troops.

Instead of bashing Kerry for a botched joke,
perhaps we should be asking the question: Did
George Bush do his homework?

Bush under estimated the terrorist threat in
Iraq, despite the fact that he went there to
fight terrorism. He under estimated the sectarian
violence, despite the fact that Iraq is composed
of three ethnic groups who dislike each other.
And he under estimated the number of troops needed
in Iraq, ignoring the advice of a number of his
top military people. As a result, there was no
adequate plan to win the peace in Iraq, and no
adequate means to secure that peace.

Apparently, George Bush failed to do his homework.

Perhaps, George Bush who should apologize to our
troops for that failure. They are paying a heavy
price because of it.

And so is our nation.

This issue boils down to the following: "botched
joke by John Kerry" versus "botched policy in
Iraq by George Bush".

And one last thought. If George Bush failed to
do his homework on Iraq, did he fail to do his
homework on how to combat the terrorist threat?

How people can believe John Kerry meant anything more than what he said is unbelievable. Thank God for the great men and women who are ready and able to protect such a despicable person. John Kerry would be the first in line to say "Go fight" if one of his mansions was hit by a terrorist. And George Bush definitely loves America more than John Kerry.

Joseph Cesare said: "Would the right-wing condemnation of Kerry's remarks mean they agree that the U.S. is "stuck in Iraq?" Now, that would be quite a concession heading into the midterms."

Yet another example of a logical fallacy at work. It's like asking a defendant" Have you stopped beating your wife?" An assumption is implied in the question such that you can't answer without condemning yourself. Obviously, "the right-wing" can condemn his comment about the military without giving a nod to whether we're stuck in Iraq.

Steve made the following comment:>
Steve, you've just given an example of a logical fallacy. The form of the argument is: if A then B, else C. You can't move the form around and say if not A and C then B. B and C are the results, not the actions. Maybe you should have studied philosophy in college and made an effort to be smart.

Renee, that is a lot of "implying" from such a simple comment. You wouldn't happen to be voting to the left Tuesday would you? And when I say "you" I specifically mean the person I am addressing. Not a third party that is not mentioned within the conversation.

Mr Kerry, you are wrong!!!!
Military personnel are very smart, focused and career-oriented. I for one, completed 3 years in college, was taking Aerospace Engineering with good grades (not like you)- dropped and decided to join our finest military.
Maybe some are not as fortunate as you are (spoon-fed by your parents), that they have to join the military to get college grant... you know what, they are by far more modest, intelligent and will always be a better and superior man than you will ever be.

What Kerry should have said is "A lack of education caues you to forget a simple 3 line joke that you memorized only an hour earlier"What a moron

What ever Senator Kerry meant to say he open his mouth and shove his foot in his throat. Kerry is so hooked on trying to down the current administration at every opportunity his mouth gets ahead of his brains. I think its pretty obvious who the idiot is. As far as the war goes the only reason we can open our mouths and speak is because of those guy fighting and the ones who fought before. Apparently Kerry has no concept of that

If you don't think Kerry is a total pushover you are wrong, I served in operation Iraqi freedom and fought for my country to get the money to go to school that I could not afford going on my own free will. I loved the military. And I thank every soldier out there tat has, is, and will fight for our country. And for the students that plan or choose to go to school, good luck! school is not cheap nor is it easy. But your time in school is no easier then being in the military! Now we have to hear shit form Kerry, I bet he got beat up a lot in school for being an incompetent asshole. Bush may not give the best speech, but will always be a better and bigger man than you will ever be. We needed a president that could stand up and fight for our country. Someone that wont let anyone else have the opportunity to push us around. And I think a well educated man would have studied his speech before opening his shit filled mouth would have caught this long before he ever said it. Here's to you dick head.

GOD BLESS AMERICA,
And all the SOLDIERS who protect it. That is smart in itself.

I think both sides are pretty lame. They continue to attack one another's character instead of getting off their lazy A's and doing something. Stop trying to play misdirection games on the minds of the American people and do your damn job!!! Why don't we put the leaders in a pit and let them fight it out amongst themselves.
WAKE UP PEOPLE...stop letting the news media who are only concerned with their ratings(money)guide your thinking. Get a book and READ and stop living in fear.

Jason Helena MT,
Sen, John Kerry crossed the line TOO FAR. There are many of my family members who served in vietnam, friends who served in both Iraq wars and 2 in Iraq now. They are very angry as to what Kerry the "slanderer" said. I for one am angry at this fool who won't apologize. What gets me is that after he was in vietnam, a vet who was there is now slamming our men and women over seas and at home bases all around the world? Kerry is a spunk unhappy little man who treats vets and soldiers around the world like idiots. It's wrong and he needs to take his self centeredness to apologize to our troops and take his attacks else where.

I feel Senator Kerry, speaks without thinking at times. He should apologize for leaving the word "us" out of his comment, and life will go on. He was speaking to student's and was trying in my mind to get a point across of how important a good education is. Had he used the word " us ", it would have shown how many uneducated decision's the Repulican's have made on this stupid war.
I think most of our politition's should always make speeches sitting down, because most act & talk like that is mainly where their brains are.
I have been a Republican voter for many years, but even with the comment made by Senator Kerry, I'm going Democratic this election. Our country is being brought to it's knees by the bad choices' of the Republican's. Maybe some of our superior's should have paid more attention when they were in school, then they wouldn't be making such stupid decision's.
I am not anti military either. I have had many family member's serve in our Armed Forces and am very proud of them and all other's serving our country.

Unfortunately the comment was being taken out of context (can you imagine??) I watched the original unedited statement and I figured, with my average intelligence, that John Kerry was referring to the President, especially because the statement just before this one was about the President, but that is edited out. It has been a subject of humor for years how Bush didn't study hard in school. His on camera appearances have been loved by comedians just waiting for him to mis-speak. The thing that gets me is how John McCain is getting on the Republican band wagon and speaking out about this absurd exploitation. I thought he had more integrity than that!

Boy some of you can really stretch the truth! He was talking to students and he most certainly meant that if they didn't study they would be "stuck in Iraq". He has a history of denigrating the military! He served for THREE MONTHS and got his scratches and got the hell out. Thank you Kerry, you just motivated the millions of military families to get out and vote against your party!How DARE a wannabe rich boy like you say the military men and women are not smart! When that fool got back from Vietnam he said our troops were raping and pillaging on par with Ghengis Khan. He said not too long ago that our troops were "terrorizing" the Iraqi people. What a loser!

What if you happen to get stuck in Afghanistan instead of Iraq? Are you also a fool with less education and few options as well? If so, did Kerry really mean he's now shifted his position from "for Afghanistan" to "against Afghanistan" as well?

By the way, he got stuck in Vietnam, a war liberals love to analogize to Iraq, for a while too, does that mean Mr. "Smart Pants with some Ketchup Stains" is a bona fide moron too?

In his news conference, Sen. Kerry said that his remark was a botched attempt at a joke directed at President Bush. Had he then continued by saying, "That, if anyone -- especially any of our military personnel or their families -- misunderstood my comment and was offended, I deeply apologize," the incident would have wrapped up fairly quickly. That's because the mainstream media would have stopped covering the story. INSTEAD Sen. Kerry said, “I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy.” He also said, “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."

Yet back on the December 4, 2005 broadcast of CBS' Face the Nation, Sen. Kerry stated, "[T]here is no reason ... that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the -- of -- the historical customs, religious customs."

That sure sounds like criticizing our troops to me! And some members of the Bush Administration, some leading Republicans, but more importantly, many in the military took it a step further to claim that Sen. Kerry was "basically saying that our troops are acting as terrorists..." I don't recall Sen. Kerry apologizing for offending our military back then either.

Finally, this is the same John F. Kerry who, in 1971 on NBC's Meet the Press, came right out and called the military personnel in Vietnam war criminals. So this self proclaimed "war hero" has a long history of criticizing our military personnel, not just the president and his policies.

Ha Ha

Kerry is an idiot! Nice timing.

Unfortunately, I can distinctly remember during my senior year in high school and early years in college the fact that young men had a choice between college, National Guard service or serving in VietNam. The war in Iraq is no different except for the fortunate abolition of the draft. I sadly have to agree with Mr. Kerry that the majority of those young men and women serving in Iraq jointed the military for an opportunity to improve their life through military service in the absence of other opportunity. It burdens my soul every day as I read the increasing numbers of brave young patriotic men and women who are losing their lives in a war that is increasing becoming a mirror of VietNam with little promise of a "successful outcome". I pray that they do not make the ultimate sacrifice for a hidden agenda.

Hey steve, of course kerry doesn't think he is stupid. Stupid people usually don't realize it. But the fact remains, the man is a fool. without the ketchup money, he would would be a big zero.

Dan, you are high as a kite. Kerry was no war hero, in fact the only reason he joined was to further his political career. I guess he figured a smart guy like he could fake three injuries and get discharged so those eft behind must not be as "smart" as him. I'd hate to be a democrat these days, continuously trotting out idiots for candidates, one who flunked out of seminary, one who ran on a campaign of bush is stupid, and failed to notice his grades were just as poor, and who eventually got out smarted. Then of course you've got carpet bagging double speaking stand for everything and nothing HClinton. You poor people must be in hell.

My Son, 2nd LT, 2005 grad of USMA is back, His Brigade was responsible for over 1000 new schools, 43 hospitals and hundreds of water and sewer systems. They captured and killed many iranian and syrian insurgents. Did any of you hear about that? When I vacationed in SE Asia yes the draft was in place. And, yet I and many others were not drafted. I am proud of my son, I destroyed, he builds. Mr. I cannot call him senator, has denagraded, not only my son ,but all the the best of the best who went to war to build. It is called HONOR something he has no concept of. If you want to put down the President then say that. Be a MAN.

This is better than an Osama tape.

What an irresponsible comment Jock Young! I've been in the military as an enlisted man for 15 years, served in Iraq, and I have a Masters degree in Public Health. What you said is the pot calling the kettle black. I am a product of our poor public schools. I did have good grades, and could afford to attend college, but unselfishly chose to serve my country instead. You bash our troops as being dimwitted, but belong to a profession that is also not really known for it's rocket scientists! My memories of high school were unpleasant. It was a bad school district; teachers taught out of the manual frequently because they did not know the subject themselves, many pushed on us their personal political views instead of actively teaching us the intended subject, and teacher apathy was rampant. It seemed the higher tenured teachers were the worst ones. I can remember asking my math teacher for help, but being reminded by her that it's not about learning more, but learning the minimum to meet the graduation requirement! My guidance counselor tried to talk me out of joining the military "because I was throwing away too much potential." --my point is, that many teachers (maybe like yourself) are PART of the preceived problem of our troops not being the best educated. Presently, all my co-workers either have college degrees, or are working on them. For someone who has been a teacher for 32 years, maybe you should follow up on some of your students who joined the military, you might be surprised how well they turned out. Saying ALL of our troops usually don't do well in school, is like saying all teachers are below standard. It's a fact, now live with it, sir!

Whats worse than what John Kerry said, is how ABC news reported it. They made it sound like the Whitehouse started the whole thing. I'm sick and tired of the left leaning media twisting a story with their choice of words,ect. to make ANYTHING the republicans do sound wrong. From now on, I'll watch FOX at 6:30.

Senator Kerry,

Shut up, you're blowing it for us!!! Please, just be quiet until next Tuesday!!!

If Sen. Kerry WAS making fun of President Bush, then he was also making fun of HIMSELF. President Bush and Sen. Kerry had practically the same grade average at Yale. Michael Kranish, in his article in the Boston Globe, dated June 7, 2005 wrote the following:

"In 1999, The New Yorker published a transcript indicating that Bush had received a cumulative score of 77 for his first three years at Yale and a roughly similar average under a non-numerical rating system during his senior year."

"Kerry, who graduated two years before Bush, got a cumulative 76 for his four years, according to a transcript that Kerry sent to the Navy when he was applying for officer training school."

"Under Yale's grading system in effect at the time, grades between 90 and 100 equaled an A, 80-89 a B, 70-79 a C, 60 to 69 a D, and anything below that was a failing grade."

This is the exacted reactionary avalanche we get from the professional daily Tony Snow Job.

It's about time someone stood
up to Bushy and Rummy.

You know it's not tough correcting you guys, I guess you were C students also. Add the one word "us" and you see what he's saying:

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don't, you get "us" stuck in Iraq."

No, Senator Kerry clearly was NOT implying that "our brave fighting men and women in Iraq aren't smart." You could interpret it that way if your goal was to find excuses to ridicule Democrats, which is apparently what this blog is about.

Uneducated people often DO have few options but to join the military, where they can be sent to places like Iraq by uneducated politicians who didn't know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite until after the invasion.

After teaching high school for 32 years, John Kerry's remarks are right on the money. Those who couldn't make the grade went into the service. It is a fact, now live with it.

As a US Soldier and a resident of Massachusetts, I am offended not only by his comments addressing the rally in CA, but even more offended that he didn't even apologize or try to clear up what it was he intended to say. Instead he said non-sense about politics (there he goes campaigning) and I was so stunned that he was so far off of what he should be doing. What a mess. I hope the media does not downplay this. He opened a huge can of worms and really made it look bad for himself and his close allies.

Who cares what Kerry says? All politicians make dumb comments ... ostensibly to cater to whoever the current audience is. People need to start taking some time to figure out what they believe and pick a candidate that aligns with their beliefs no matter what party they belong to. If you can't find a candidate that fits your criteria then cast a protest vote for a relatively unknown candidate. There is no such thing as a wasted vote unless it is not cast. Don't let politicians bully you into voting along party lines, think for yourself or you truly will get what you deserve ... more self-serving, slick-talking career politicians who are only concerned with doing whatever it takes to get elected.

Bush,Kerry,Rush,ect they are all alike.We are being held prisoner in our own land by these goofballs.I've never seen such a mess in DC.The voter has nowhere to run.One side murders the unborn the other side murders the young soldiers in the name of an unjust war.In all my 50+ years i've never seen our country in such a mess as it's in now.We need a strong third party with young minds that know how to solve problems instead of showing their true IQ when they open their mouths like Kerry....

Mr. Kerry has a point. If you poll all of the GOP representative and ask if their children are enlisting the answer would most likely be "No Way". The recruiters are in the malls looking for kids who are looking for way so improving the lives. Kerry should have said the poor are the ones fighting in the war.

I'm sorry, maybe someone could point out what other career options uneducated 18 year olds have in this country, other than military service. It's not exactly like there is a booming manufacturing industry in this country.

This is the text of what Kerry 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, and if you don’t you get stuck in Iraq."

Perhaps everyone who thinks he said 'Study hard or you'll get stuck in Iraq' Should read what he said and like maybe think about it for one second.

Doesn't the above quote say if you study hard and don't get stuck in Iraq, you can do well...

People just love to jump on bandwagons and ignore what someone actually 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, AND if you don’t you get stuck in Iraq.” (Emphasis mine.)

Seems clear to me. He put it at the end of the sentence because it was apparently an afterthought. He's not saying the troops are not smart, he's saying a moron president who sees young men and women as expendable tools for his personal revenge ("Embarrass my Daddy, will ya? Take THAT, Saddam!") make joining the military a really bad idea right now.

Not that the Dems would ever do such a thing, of course. Oh, no...they'd do it from a higher moral position, I'm sure. But it would be just as stupid and the soldiers' lives would be just as wasted.

Kerry was wrong. He should apologize. The dems can't be too happy with him roght now. This is something that could hurt the Dems in an election that they have an edge in. Bush is wounded and so is the right. Comments like this have to have the DNC going crazy. If the RNC is smart they will run an add on this in every key state. It just goes to show you if you can't say something nice you probably shouldn't say anything at all.

"only liberal secular progressive drive-by media outlet to actually cover this story"

Don't worry, haven't you seen ABC Political Director, Mark Halperin's interview with Hugh Hewitt? ABC has decided to become the broadcast version of Fox News and become openly conservative Republican. They feel that they have to make-up for the liberal bias of the rest of the media and will put a right-wing spin on all of their political coverage.

So rest assured, everything you see on Free Republic.com, you'll soon see on ABC.

Way to go Kerry.....open mouth and insert foot. Why can't you leave well enough alone???? Well he can't leave well enough alone because he is a spoiled rich man that can't have his way (president). I still love the picture with him and Jane Fonda. He gets medals for scratches....unbelievable. Now our troops fighting for this country are stupid???? WOW....this is the kind of stuff the Democrats like Kerry and Murtha let roll off of their lips daily.

Our troops are dodging bullets all day and then they have to deal with this.It isn't fair.

Senator is right...
American solders in Iraq arent smart... no doubth about it.....

To me, the most sensible interpretation is that Sen. Kerry was indirectly criticizing the President. Unfortunately, this incident is endemic of Kerry's major problem in the 2004 presidential campaign: he would say something which could be interpreted in more than one way, then would have to explain himself, drawing much more attention to his comments and his manner of speaking than he ever should have. Someone should have told Sen. Kerry then, as well as now, that one should express oneself plainly and clearly and not in ellipses.

jt:

Sen. Kerry's comment as a way of impugning President Bush's intellect doesn't make sense. Sen. Kerry is telling a room full of students to study hard and be smart. He certainly can't be telling these students that they can ALL become president (with or without being smart). My personal opinion is that Sen. Kerry didn't have a meaning. He just wanted to interject Iraq into his speech and did so.

As much as I would like to believe that Sen. Kerry was intentionally implying that our brave men and women aren't smart, it was nothing more than picking the wrong place to interject Iraq. Sen. Kerry was just trying to be cleaver and he may have outsmarted himself. Conservative talk radio will have a field day. In fact, they will have their cake and eat it too. Not only can they go after Sen. Kerry, but they get to watch him try to squirm his way out of this mess. If he really had a specific meaning, HE would have produced it and not had his people throw out a lame explanation.

Kerry back to his old ways, taking a dump on the brave souls of the U.S. Military.
And oh please? He was taking a cheat shot at Bush? Who got a better grade than Kerry, who has done well(gov. of Texas, 2 term U.S. president...) unless you have to marry rich to be considered of doing well nowadays. The only way to make this into an remark about Bush, is to stretch it wide out of context.
There is no running away from this, I'd be amazed if he wont be forced to given an appology. If they try and run away or spin this, they'll just make it worse.

Of course Kerry is talking about the President. That said, it's a pretty silly comment. I didn't know that the Unknown Comic was still accepting writing jobs.

Thank you for being the only liberal secular progressive drive-by media outlet to actually cover this story. I went to cbs, cnn, and nbc and they had nothing. You better watch your back because the dems want to hide this story.

The reference is to the fact that George W. was a C student. It has nothing to do with the troops.

The country is being run by a man with the intellect of a gerble.

Would the right-wing condemnation of Kerry's remarks mean they agree that the U.S. is "stuck in Iraq?" Now, that would be quite a concession heading into the midterms.

Kerry always had a knack for saying stupid things. He thinks he is so smart that everyone will just "get" what he meant. What a doof.

This seems taken out of context.

I hope Kerry keeps talking. He defines "dim bulb." Also, he did not enlist. He was commissioned, went to RVN, organized and collected three "heroic" decorations in 3 months, left his crew in harms way, came home and turned his back on them. Presidential timber for the left. Please God let him run.

I don't think John Kerry meant to imply that our soldiers in Iraq are less than intelligent. Sadly, joining the military as a soldier is often one of the last resorts for our youth who do not focus on getting an education to obtain more career choices.

John Kerry knows the price of war first-hand. I doubt that he would consider himself stupid. He's a Vietnam Vet trying to prevent others from experiencing the tragedy of fighting a losing battle.

I don't think that Senator Kerry was referring to the education level of the troops in his comment. I believe that he was implying that President Bush should have consulted his unopened college history books prior to entering into this current conflict.