[ez]

IMHO the dumbest thing Kerry said was "trying to get smart" because that infers you're DUMB if you got caught in Iraq. Dumb@$$...

[norton]

"IMHO the dumbest thing Kerry said was "trying to get smart"

Then there is the fact that you do not 'get smart';
you are either smart or not, intelligent or not.
You can "get educated", "get skilled", and "get informed",
but "smart" is on you.

Or can be like Kerry and "get educated", even be clever, sly, and conniving; without having a clue about "smart".
(Although, it did take some brains to realize that money could be made through selective dating.)