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Kerry's November Gift to Republicans? (Dem Congressman Says Kerry Is Blowing 2006 for Dems.)
ABC News ^ | 10/31/06 | JAKE TAPPER, MIKE CALLAHAN and AVERY MILLER

Posted on 10/31/2006 3:54:12 PM PST by MikeA

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 31, 2006 — For weeks, Republicans on the campaign trail have been looking for something — anything — to talk about other than the record of the Republican Congress and the way the Bush administration has conducted the war in Iraq.

Monday, they got their wish. While stumping for local Democrats in California, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., addressed students at Pasadena City College and made a comment about education and the war in Iraq that lent itself to much controversy.

"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," he said.

It was a rhetorical gift for the embattled Republican Party which is eager to run against Kerry again. The White House unusually notified the media ahead of time that the president would address the issue in remarks at today's campaign rally in Georgia.

Election Fodder

The Kerry kerfuffle is a prototype of controversies of the new media age. "Thanks to the Internet, all life is on the record now," observed journalism professor Jeff Jarvis of CUNY. "Everything a politician says and does is public and the world can see in a second … that's life now."

After Kerry's remarks were mentioned on the Web sites of local newspapers, including the Whittier Daily News, the video popped up on YouTube and conservative blogs like Newsbusters.org, and then talk radio seized on them.

Though, as opposed to 2004, it didn't take Kerry weeks to respond to attacks against him. Shortly before noon, Tuesday, Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, responded, insisting in a statement that he had not belittled the intelligence of soldiers serving in Iraq, but rather, that of "the president who got us stuck there."

But it may have been too late, the train had left the station.

"I believe Sen. Kerry owes an apology to many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., campaigning in Indiana.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said, "It tells us what John Kerry himself and the Democratic Party think about the troops and the U.S. military."

By the time Kerry got to a microphone in Seattle this afternoon to explain what he called a botched joke about the president, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans, had already heard about this new issue and Republican candidates were talking about it.

"It disgusts me that a bunch of these Republican hacks who have never worn the uniform of our country are willing to lie about those who did," Kerry added.

What's unclear is if Kerry's comments will help rally Republican voters or help their party portray Democrats as against the troops to score victories next Tuesday. A Democratic congressman told ABC News, Tuesday, "I guess Kerry wasn't content blowing 2004, now he wants to blow 2006, too."


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2006elections; asinine90; bestrepublicanfriend; democrats; drivebymedia; frenchpoodle; gruntgate; hanoikerry; jeanfrancoischeri; kerry; kerrydumbiraqgaffe; msm; unfit
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To: MikeA
This ABC piece is a classic navel-gazing article. They have to cover it, because it is out there. It is a Dem, so they have to diffuse it. Sooo...instead of rehashing the Kerry gaffe, and his record of disparaging those in uniform, the subject is the media, how this got out, whether it should have gotten out, etc.

Contrast to Lott's comments at Strom Thurmond's Birthday party. The MSM was in full cry for weeks.

81 posted on 10/31/2006 5:05:53 PM PST by Plutarch
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To: MikeA

Looks like kerry may have to go S. Amer. to shine Bush's shoes after 08?


82 posted on 10/31/2006 5:14:23 PM PST by Waco
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To: quantim

Pride before the fall...

83 posted on 10/31/2006 5:23:22 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Vote REPUBLICAN on November 7th!)
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To: jpl

Thank you! And the troops thank you. They deserve better than having the Dems in charge.


84 posted on 10/31/2006 5:23:54 PM PST by LadyNavyVet
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To: observer5
The gift that keeps on giving...

He's just reminded the entire Republican base as to why they voted against Democrats in 2004. A greater gift we could not have imagined.

85 posted on 10/31/2006 5:25:37 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Vote REPUBLICAN on November 7th!)
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To: tet68

ROVEMBER!!!!Thats the first time I have seen your new word!!!!... can I borrow it??.......Very classic!!!!


86 posted on 10/31/2006 5:29:58 PM PST by GitmoSailor (Diana Irey Will Win. Freepers in AZ love her also.)
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To: SMM48
President Bush has now said that Kerry should apologize.

Should Kerry respond? I think he will and dig himself deeper.

What the brilliant, elitist leftists never learned is the first rule of holes.

Keep talking...keep talking.

87 posted on 10/31/2006 5:29:59 PM PST by HoosierHawk
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This just in- The Kerry camp has sent every republican a case of Ketchup and vowed to stick his foot in his mouth as much as possible in the comming week- Gosh I hope America wakes up to the vitriol the left has for the right- ABC CNN MSNBC are helping the cause I think as they appologize and excuse away the despicable-ness of the left's outrageous acts & their viewership is suffering for it. We've gone a LONG way away from the democrats of old who had clear views and didn't have to resort to constant outrageousness in order to win the hearts of the left voters & independants- Yes, things have always been nasty in politics, but they've crossed a line in recent years, and peopel are frankly beginning to tell them to stuff it.

Christian news and commentary at: sacredscoop.com ...

88 posted on 10/31/2006 5:30:41 PM PST by CottShop (http://sacredscoop.com)
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To: MikeA
Hmmmm, Bush has a Harvard MBA, while you Senator Kerry have a bachelor's degree.

In the interest of accuracy, Kerry has a law degree.

Both went to Yale and produced similarly mediocre grades -- they were "C" students...but Bush's grade point was a fraction higher than Kerry's.

Subsequently, Bush went to Harvard and got an MBA -- when an advanced degree from Harvard still meant something. For his part, Kerry went to Boston College and got a law degree...because he couldn't get into Harvard.

89 posted on 10/31/2006 5:31:26 PM PST by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham


90 posted on 10/31/2006 5:34:55 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Vote REPUBLICAN on November 7th!)
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To: CottShop

And, just learned this today- George Bush got better grades in College than Kerry did, yet Kerry feels it's his right to insult the President's intelligence? Yeah, Kerry has a higher IQ- but my gosh- it sure don't make him smarter- And, speaking on the differences of the old democrats and the new vitriolic ones, We've REALLY digressed to a very low gutter mentality in this country when a member of Congress tries to excuse his moronic statments about soldiers by saying "I meant to insult the President' Since when is is socially acceptable to insult the highest position of this country? Had he actually insulted the President, Republicans should also have demanded an apology- pretty said when you can't even respect your leader regardless of your differences. David, in the old testament, when he was being chased by King Saul who wanted to kill him, had a perfect chance to kill him when Saul fell asleep- YET out of respect for Saul's Kingship, chose NOT to. How the democrats have sunk to despicable levels!


91 posted on 10/31/2006 5:35:42 PM PST by CottShop (http://sacredscoop.com)
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To: Plutarch
This ABC piece is a classic navel-gazing article. They have to cover it, because it is out there. It is a Dem, so they have to diffuse it. Sooo...instead of rehashing the Kerry gaffe, and his record of disparaging those in uniform, the subject is the media, how this got out, whether it should have gotten out, etc.

Spot on. In the "glory days" of the Dinosaur Media, Kerry's outrageous statement NEVER.... EVER would have seen the light of day.  Jake Tapper, Mark Haperin, Brian Ross and their DNC kneepadders can go pound sand.

92 posted on 10/31/2006 5:38:31 PM PST by Libertarian444
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To: RoseofTexas
Make a simple apology and move on...BUTTTTTTTTTTTT NOOOOOOOOO the freakin doofus had to insert foot in mouth!

Let's Praise the Lord! He brings down the powerful using their own pride.

93 posted on 10/31/2006 5:47:03 PM PST by pray4liberty (School District horrors: http://totallyunjust.tripod.com)
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To: MikeA
A Democratic congressman told ABC News, Tuesday, "I guess Kerry wasn't content blowing 2004, now he wants to blow 2006, too."

Kerry's probably blown 2008, too. For him, at least.

94 posted on 10/31/2006 5:49:59 PM PST by GoBucks2002
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To: MikeA
What a give for the Drive By Media! A living, breathing excuse for why the Socialists are going to lose on November 7th!

In the post-election analysis, they DBM will point to Kerry's gaff and blame the whole thing on him.

95 posted on 10/31/2006 5:50:30 PM PST by Redleg Duke (¡Salga de los Estados Unidos de América, invasor!)
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To: psjones
Even it was a joke aimed at the president, i think it's in poor taste.

The Blowhard was serious.

96 posted on 10/31/2006 5:56:03 PM PST by Red Steel
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To: RoseofTexas

It's a given that Kerry will stick his foot in his mouth....the real question is, how is he going to get the other one in there with it.


97 posted on 10/31/2006 5:57:47 PM PST by Ouderkirk (Don't you think it's interesting how death and destruction seems to happen wherever Muslims gather?)
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To: GoBucks2002

The Dems are really great at "blowing" a lot of things. (wink)


98 posted on 10/31/2006 5:58:34 PM PST by pray4liberty (School District horrors: http://totallyunjust.tripod.com)
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To: MikeA
A rational person can act irrational or crazy but a crazy person cannot act rational.

Ergo, Kerry is just being himself and when that irrationality appears, he doesn't even know he stepped in it.

These are evil people folks!

99 posted on 10/31/2006 5:59:32 PM PST by Tolkien ("It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." ---Voltaire)
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To: MikeA

Rove does it again!


100 posted on 10/31/2006 6:00:51 PM PST by incredulous joe (No. No,...I'm here to talk about you." -- Bob Corker)
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