Kerry's Profanity Gets Bush's Attention

Associated Press ^ | December 7, 2003 | Ron Fournier

[RWR8189]

WASHINGTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) used profane language to assess President Bush (news - web sites)'s Iraq (news - web sites) policy, and Bush's chief of staff said Sunday the Democratic presidential candidate was out of line.

AP Photo

The Massachusetts senator uttered a profanity in an interview in the latest Rolling Stone magazine to express his dismay over Bush's handling of Iraq.

When asked in the interview about the success of rival candidate Howard Dean (news - web sites), whose anti-war message has resounded with supporters, Kerry responded: "When I voted for the war, I voted for what I thought was best for the country. Did I expect Howard Dean to go off to the left and say, `I'm against everything?' Sure. Did I expect George Bush to f--- it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did."

The expletive drew a rebuke from White House, which suggested an apology might be in order.

"That's beneath John Kerry," the president's chief of staff, Andrew Card, said on CNN's "Late Edition."

"I'm very disappointed that he would use that kind of language," Card said. "I'm hoping that he's apologizing at least to himself, because that's not the John Kerry that I know."

The Kerry campaign said the Massachusetts senator had no regrets.

"John Kerry saw combat up close, and he doesn't mince words when it comes to politicians who put ideological recklessness ahead of American troops," said spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "I think the American people would rather Card and the rest of the White House staff spend more time on fixing Bush's flawed policy in Iraq than on Sen. Kerry's language."

On the 62nd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Kerry laid a wreath in remembrance at the Navy base in Coronado, Calif., where he trained before shipping out to Vietnam, where he was wounded and was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with combat V. Kerry, a swift boat commander in the war, was joined by his daughter, Vanessa, and two crew mates who served with him in Southeast Asia.

During his CNN appearance, Card also opined, albeit briefly, on the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination.

"Howard Dean is a good governor in Vermont who is no longer governor," said Card. "So he would not be my choice for president of the United States."

[SamAdams76]

John Kerry is a very desparate man. It's all slipping away...

[Paul Atreides]

The Grim Reaper is so desperate that he has to use profanity, to relate to the teenyboppers. Then, he has to go and blame it on the President. I just wish that we could get him to open up about Vietnam.

[Paul Atreides]

Like ketchup in the squeeze-bottle, so are the days of his life.

[AmericanVictory]

It's not words he's mincing, lady, it's his campaign, just in time for Christmas. Talk about out of sync!

[exit82]

"That's beneath John Kerry"

No, that IS John Kerry.

Also, don't you love the way his campaign says that Kerry saw combat up close. Every time Kerry speaks, we have to be reminded about that. Oh, yeah, and it was in Vietnam, too.

That was 35 years ago.

John, why the long face?

[Texas Eagle]

That's beneath John Kerry," the president's chief of staff, Andrew Card, said on CNN's "Late Edition."

How do you get beneath the scum on the bottom of the barrel?

[Choose Ye This Day]

"John Kerry saw combat up close..."

Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam? You'd think his campaign might want to mention that fact once in a while. Get it out there. Most people have never heard that.[/ sarcasm]

[Humidston]

Well, he certainly knows how to identify with the commie pinko types on DUmmies.

[RWR8189]

John Kerry was in Vietnam?

[concerned about politics]

Liberals have absolutely no class. What a bunch of dogs. If it's filthy, lazy, carries disease, or kills, they're right there to support it.

[Abcdefg]

A horse's a$$ with a horse's face.

[Texas Eagle]

Also, don't you love the way his campaign says that Kerry saw combat up close. Every time Kerry speaks, we have to be reminded about that. Oh, yeah, and it was in Vietnam, too.

How come Jean-Claude Kerry stopped pointing out that he threw his medals over the White House fence?

Oh, yeah. Because it was discovered that those medals actually belonged to another soldier. Kerry's medals hang prominently in his office.

[concerned about politics]

"John Kerry saw combat up close, and he doesn't mince words when it comes to politicians who put ideological recklessness ahead of American troops,"

Oh, BTW. Did you kow Kerry was in Nam? Maybe you haven't heard it for the 100,000,000,000th time? I just thought I'd pass it on in case you missed it.

[Reagan is King]

Did Kerry serve in the military? He should let everyone know about it and stop holding back. /sarcasm>

Good grief, thanks for your service but do you have to get it into every other sentence and mold your whole campaign around saying it? This guy is scary and it's not just his looks. The whole Dem lineup is in lunatic mode.

[smith288]

[eddie willers]

John Kerry is a very desparate man. It's all slipping away...

A meltdown on the scale of Edmund Muskie,

[concerned about politics]

Good grief, thanks for your service but do you have to get it into every other sentence and mold your whole campaign around saying it?

I'm not sure, but from the way Kerry sounds, he was the only soldier in the war, right? Wasn't the war fought by Kerry himself? A one man army?

[Tax Government]

Nothing sorrier than a person who marries for money. LOOOSER!

[Cicero]

Just curious, but what evidence does Ron Fournier offer to demonstrate that Kerry's profanity "gets Bush's attention"? Like the earlier articles that Fournier presumably cribbed this one from, all this article says is that Andrew Card criticized Kerry for demeaning himself.

As for getting Bush's attention, Kerry probably got no more attention than one would give to a whining mosquito, assuming that Bush noticed it at all. For which Fournier offers no evidence at all.

A minor point, probably. But can't these idiotic excuses for reporters get ANYTHING right? I was a reporter for my school newspaper many years ago, and I never would have gotten away with writing something like this.