"Elliott probably admitted that it was wrong to be used in that fashion. " The writer supposes that this is what happened and he believes that he is is reporting. Is he not just making something up from whole cloth?
He could have said that, "What Elliot meant was that Kerry killed 500 people with his pockey knife." And it would be just as true. The reporter (barf) made up an exucse for the Kerry.
He is nothing more than ACF (a covering flack) for Kerry and the Taxocrats!