Kerry: "If you don’t make an effort to be smart, you get stuck in Iraq."

[Dr. Woo]

Vets, pols stick it to Kerry: Iraq remarks draw ire
By Jessica Fargen
Boston Herald Health & Medical Reporter

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - Updated: 02:21 PM EST

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is under fire from the White House as well as vets’ families today for telling students at a rally in California that if they don’t study hard, they’ll “get stuck in Iraq.”

Kerry wasted no time in lashing back at his critics, saying, “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.”

Yesterday, at a rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, Kerry told a cheering Pasadena City College audience: “Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard and do your homework and you make an effort to be smart you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Video snippets of the speech have popped up on www.youtube.com, prompting irate calls by mothers of U.S. soldiers to Boston radio talk stations.

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) issued a statement today calling on fellow Vietnam veteran Kerry to say he’s sorry.

“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,” McCain said in a statement posted on drudgereport.com.

And the White House accused Kerry of troop-bashing.

“Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who’ve given their lives in this,” White House press secretary Tony Snow said. “This is an absolute insult.”

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, fired back, saying the president and his administration are the ones who owe U.S. troops an apology because they “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.”

“This is the classic GOP playbook,” Kerry said in the harshly worded statement. “I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium.”

http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=165064

EDIT: Kerry has issued an apology to all those offended:

"I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended," he said in a written statement.

 

[Dr. Woo]

The Administration's failed policies and boneheaded maneuvers notwithstanding, I must say I feel quite insulted by such a statement. I mean really, what did he think the backlash would be like?

He can't justify what he said with the Administration's failures. He has a problem with the White House, he can take his beef to the White House, not to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

 

[gti5dr06]

just putting this question out there: how many people do you remember in high school with good grades that went and joined the army/MC right after?

 

[Dr. Woo]

just putting this question out there: how many people do you remember in high school with good grades that went and joined the army/MC right after?

I know several very sharp gentlemen who joined the USMC. There's quite a bit more prestige involved in being a Marine than in being a Soldier (sorry Army guys, it's true).

The Army and MC aren't the only two branches in Iraq right now, so your question is misleading in the first place.

 

[gti5dr06]

lol well i was thinking air force/navy but they our armed forces have their own rivalries aka army dislikes navy or navy dislikes air force and vice versa..didn't want to get into that..i know someone personally who has experienced discrimination issues in the navy and left because of that..why serve if your own CO won't give u the proper respect..i know two guys that joined the MC because they didn't want to do college

 

[Slipstream]

Didn't Kerry spend time in the military?






...Yeah, I thought so.

 

[EOD_ron]

Holy Shit!!! First off, as ya'll know- I am a soldier. That type of ignorant comment pisses me off, but I also defend such ignorance. I know of many people who are very smart and opt a career in the military. Do they have to? No. Everyone has their own reasons for doing what path they take. Do I have to be in the Army? No. I choose to. In fact, I recently re-enlisted for 6 more years. You may call me "dumb" for doing so, but I call you a coward for not doing so. In the end, we in the armed forces, are defending your rights for free speech and such. There is always going to be someone trying to put us down, that's ok. It is the others who listen to them, that hurt, not us. I don't like what was said, but who am I to judge? I am simply just another soldier.

 

[Dr. Woo]

All right, well, apparently he clarified his comment later. He was talking about the Administration, accusing Bush et al. of being college failures who are now stuck in Iraq or something like that. Even though Bush's overall GPA was pretty much exactly the same as Kerry's by the time he graduated Yale. I don't particularly care for either one, Kerry considerably less so.

I can see how he meant the White House, but it's WAY too easy to mistake the comments for a military-bashing. John McCain already published a short response, as apparently he was also mistaken over the subject of Kerry's ire.

People WILL take this out of context, no matter what his original intention was, and the damage...well, it's already been done.

There are reports out there that show the average military member is smarter than the average civilian. Not sure how much stock I can place in a poll "measuring intelligence," but y'know.

 

[MHS216]

just putting this question out there: how many people do you remember in high school with good grades that went and joined the army/MC right after?

My best friend is in his 3rd year at West Point. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated top 10% in our class of 758. Not calling you out, just saying that it's not all fuck-ups.

 

[trick000]

I was in the military. I can tell you there were a few dumb ones I had to deal with.

 

[bcaciopp]

The Administration's failed policies and boneheaded maneuvers notwithstanding, I must say I feel quite insulted by such a statement. I mean really, what did he think the backlash would be like?

He can't justify what he said with the Administration's failures. He has a problem with the White House, he can take his beef to the White House, not to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Kerry has just shown himself for who he is. He was in the military, I think he reminds us everytime he opens his mouth, but he wasn't there to serve America. He was there to use the position as a platform for his anti-war agenda.

That being said.... fine what ever Mr. Kerry. But at least have the courage to stand behind your words and not try to pass it off as meaning to be "talking about Bush" or some joke gone wrong. Everyone knows Kerry has no sense of humor :laugh: !

 

[TXTGTI]

I dont agree with you that Kerry was in Vietnam for his anti-war agenda. That logic just seems completely backwards to me. Why would a rich kid join the army? Maybe bc he felt it was his duty, just like any other American would. You can criticize him all you want for his stance after the war, but he, more than any other politician criticizing him earned that right to speak out against what many believe to be a failed situation.

Back to the present, just step back and think about it for a sec. I think we can all agree Kerry is a pretty intelligent man whether you like him or not. Why would ANY person, let alone a politician, denigrate the men and women in the armed forces? It just lacks logic.

 

[kirk180]

just putting this question out there: how many people do you remember in high school with good grades that went and joined the army/MC right after?

A gentleman by the name of Kelly Baker was our graduating class valedictorian with a GPA of 4.5 (or something like that). I remember him being in AP Calculus and being the only student in the highschool class that took such a course. There were those that took Calculus, just not at the level he did. Anyways, he was a good friend of mine and we partied many a time together before he left for boot camp. He signed up under the nuclear program and became an officer. Then again, he got a free ride.

I myself took the nuclear test and passed it as well. I opted not to go into nuclear engineering at the time becasue you had to enlist for 6 or 8 years (I can't really remember now). And I only wanted to sign up for a couple years. Ended up getting an honorable discharge after being over in the gulf the first time around and have since obtained degrees in two professions.

Point being...your comment is rediculous. I think you just pulled a Kerry.:wink:

Are there a lot of "goofs" in the military? Yes. But there's plenty of educated soldiers as well.

 

[EOD_ron]

Thank you Kirk180. My point exactly.

 

[Dr. Woo]

I think gti5dr06 was being genuine, just based on his past experience. I'm pretty sure he was asking a serious question and just wanted to know.