Kerry should have apologized for the Gaffe

[JCMach1]

Instead he decided to equivocate and attack his attackers...

Not good, John.


He did the same with his Iraq war vote... explain away the mistake and hope people accept it...

Sorry, but that doesn't float with this Democrat any more.

[DURHAM D]

1. Oh please - bite me. n/t

[TahitiNut]

2. Does this make over 100 Kerry threads in GD, now? (Edit: It's #147.)

(sigh) And there're more than 50 in GD:Politics

TWO HUNDRED fucking threads!! :grr:

[wtmusic]

3. agree

Very surprised. And disappointed.

[New Earth]

4. k

i believe you

[DianeG5385]

5. Hayull NO! Kerry did the right thing

I'm sick of the Dems acting like an abused spouse!!!

[New Earth]

6. isn't this

what you people always bitch about that he never does?

now he is, and you STILL bitch?

something doesn't sound right to me.

[JCMach1]

37. He followed the Hastert formula after the Foley scandal broke

Equivocate and then attack the messengers.

If he had simply said I he had made a mistake while speaking it would have just been a small *blip* not an issue.

Now, it has morphed into something more and it's not good.

[DuaneBidoux]

51. Once done it is too late: Repukes will never let it go whether or not

he apologizes. He did the smart (right? who knows.) thing by going on the counterattack and pointing out that these guys who were criticizing him had never been on a battle front or anywhere else that would show the slightest bit of courage.

Again, I do agree it would have been better had he never said it. I don't agree that it was not the smart thing to counterattack. It's damn overdue that we fight back against these sleazeballs.

[Zodiak]

43. I am one that complains when Dems do not fight

and you hear no bitching from me on this one. Kerry handled that well, and I feel there will be no negative fallout to this issue. People have had enough of this tempest in a teacup crap.

And lets say that Kerry was unbelievably magnanamous and decided to apaologize. Here should be his apology:

"George Bush wants me to apologize to our trrops in Iraq, and so here I am, with hat in hand, making an apology long overdue. I sincerely apologize that I entrusted a nincompoop like George Bush to conduct matters of war without lying to the world, the American people, and to our soldiers. I apologize that I could not convince my Republican colleagues to refrain from cutting their veterans benefits or neglecting to provide our soldiers body armor, or cutting combat pay in a time of war. I am sincerely sorry that I could not prevent George Bush from signing the Military Commissions act, which put our solders at risk of being captured and tortured. Lastly, I apologize for each and every day that I cannot prevent another American soldier from dying in this war for the profit of contractors and Dick Cheney's Halliburton because Republicans have been putting their party and their pocketbooks before the welfare of this nation. I apologize that I have been unable to do these things, but I make it my mission to try each and every day."

There are even ways to apologize that can stick a needle in the eye of this administration. A perfect opportunity to bring this horrible war back into the spotlinght. The #1 issue to voters in this election.

on edit: sentence fragments are fun...sorry for the last paragraph

[bluestateguy]

7. Apologizing would have been equivocating

Sure, probably would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all in the first place, but once he did and the swift boats started circling, he had to respond forcefully, and he did.

If he had meekly apologized as the Republican Noise Machine demanded, they just would have continued beating up on him more and more, and then he would have also alienated just as many people who essentially agreed with what he said.

[Hosnon]

8. I disagree. It would have fallen victim to the same problem. I blame him for the screw up because he

is a professional politician and should know better. Politics is about soundbites.

That said, an apology would have the EXACT same effect.

The news story would be: Kerry Blasts Troops, Apologizes.

He messed up by being an idiot on stage but is doing the best thing one can do in reaction.

[DianeG5385]

17. Would that Bush were held to the same standard

He might have been impeached by now.

[Hosnon]

20. Well we've had Dubya for 6 years and we know he gets a pass for some reason...but that's not the

point.

A good politician recognizes the playing field, level or not, and acts/reacts accordingly.

Bush gets a pass...we know that. But don't think that means every politician should, or does, get a pass.

[Baclava]

50. "Politics is about soundbites"

That is true...it's all 90% of the masses will remember.

[w4rma]

9. No. He should keep on stating that he supports the troops wholehartedly.

And keep on stating that his statement was an attack on Bush and not the troops. He WAS a troop. He served in Vietnam. And folks aren't going to take what he said as an insult to troops. He is just saying what everyone knows to be true that if you don't stay in school then the military is often your only choice. He did NOT say that folks who join the military all join because they are stupid.

JCMach1, I often agree with you but this time you are letting your hate of Kerry from the primaries guide your emotions too much.

In fact the only things he should say pertaining to this fake scandal are complements about our honorable soldiers and how pissed off he is that the Republican leadership is wasting their lives in Iraq.

[CatWoman]

10. give me a mother fucking break

oh, fuck it.

[understandinglife]

11. BULL. SHIT. CLEAR. ENOUGH.

Never Forget: George W. Bush willfully violated National Security to cover-up his willful launch of a war of aggression and illegal occupation of Iraq.... and, if you doubt it, just check 'the google' ...

[rwheeler31]

12. oh poop.get a life.

nt

[Erika]

13. Why aren't you fighting the GOP not Kerry? - 1 week left

until elections. These Kerry threads are stupid.

[JCMach1]

38. Because how Kerry approached this will affect ALL of our candidates

It changes the subject from Bush's failed policies in Iraq to...


The Democrat's failure to support the troops... (once again how others might think NOT ME)



OFF MESSAGE... OFF MESSAGE!!!

[longship]

14. No he shouldn't. He acted entirely properly

both with the remark, *AND* his response.

Nobody, and I mean *nobody* could hear the comment in context and not come to the conclusion that he was speaking of ChimpCo and *not* the troops.

This is just another example of the RW noise machine making more noise out of nothing. Could it have an effect on the election?

I don't think so. John Kerry isn't running for *anything* this year. Yes, there will likely be a steamy 48 hours, but I think before many more hours of this affair pass, somebody is going to remind those supposedly intelligent Repuke strategists that it might not be the best strategy to remind the people of just how bad Iraq has become.

All told, by the end of the week, this issue is gone, and I mean *gone*.

[Guaranteed]

15. GO HOME! GO TO BED! nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

16. -------->

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[LSK]

18. FUCK NO!!! BUSH SHOULD APOLOGIZE FOR HIS WAR!!!

:grr:

[cigsandcoffee]

19. I agree.

He had a chance to do the "adult" thing by cutting through the bullshit and apologizing for any offense caused by the gaffe. Then, he could have nailed Bush to the wall.

But by missing that important first step before unleashing the angry diatribe, he gives off the appearance of a petulant kid not willing to own up to a mistake (otherwise known as the "Bush doctrine"). He fucked up while a lot of people were watching.

[bilgewaterbill]

21. He's overlearned his lesson about being swiftboated. nt

[cigsandcoffee]

24. Big time.

Fighting back is A-OK, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't apologize for a mistake before doing it. It's a small thing, but I'd say it's an important one to the many people who want a change from the "take-no-responsibility" Bush administration.

Repubs didn't put the botched words in Kerry's mouth, and when botched words cause offense, an earnest apology is the adult thing to do. Apologize first, then attack the idiots who are opportunistically exploiting and distorting your gaffe.

[Actionmac]

34. Apologize, get real

then fighting back is of no use... the apology is all that would matter and the truth would get lost. We have a soldier captured in Iraq, maybe being tortured under the new US torture rules. Our troops prevented from creating checkpoints to search for him. Demand an Apology from Bush for starting and botching the Iraq war that has killed over 2,800 US Troops. Oh, might want an apology for NOT finding those WMDs, the first excuse used for invading Iraq.

[JCMach1]

41. Good points

[mduffy31]

22. .

:popcorn:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

23. Yeah, why doesn't this genuine War Hero take his Swiftboating

from an AWOL like a man, like he did two years ago? (end sarcasm)

For the life of me, I can't understand why Kerry doesn't make Dubya's AWOL the issue. The TANG unit Daddy Bush got Junior into was called "Air Canada" because its chances of having members called up into Vitnam were so low. But even that kind of service was way too much for Junior.

Forty years later, Junior has sent just about every combat-age National Guard member to Iraq at least once, and he has the nerve to accuse a decorated combat veteran of being anti-soldier. Gimme a break!

[BigBearJohn]

25. oh please, why dont you just tell him to bend over and pass the vaseline

give me a break.
He should NOT apologize.
BUSH should apologize.
I'm tired of kissing GOP ass.
Time to call them out for what they are ... EVIL INCARNATE

[mindwalker_i]

30. Bingo

Apologizing for the RW noise machine taking him out of context? Hell no! So some nut jobs are going to say he insulted the troops? What about fuckin' killing the troops?! Where's the apology for that? And where's the apology for supporting this terrorist president so he could kill our troops?

-mwalker

[Jim Sagle]

26. Pppppfffffbbbbttttt!!!!!!!!!!

[Swamp Rat]

27. Scardy Dem! Scardy Dem! BOO!

:D

[Chomskyite]

28. Hey JC, answer this?

Has Bush apologized yet for saying, "Nothing!" when he was asked recently whether the Iraq War had anything to do with the war on Al-Qaeda?

[JCMach1]

39. And look how well he's doing in the polls

...point taken?

[LittleClarkie]

29. He put the emphasis where it belonged, and didn't let them

get away with changing the subject. I'm proud of him.

He apologized for that vote, btw.

Calling it equivocating only make sense if you believe he actually thinks soldiers are stupid. That would include him, wouldn't it. Do you think he's the kind of man who would insult the military?

[Actionmac]

31. Re: Kerry should have apologized for the Gaffe?

Oh, that’s so PC… The John Kerry slip is harming the party... STOP WHINING AND GET BEHIND HIM! Yes, it will keep the REAL issue at the TOP of the NEWS. The republicans treated our troops like uneducated, unworthy NOBODIES. Sending them into the Iraq war with substandard body armor, substandard vehicle protection, using them for press backdrop and getting them STUCK IN IRAQ with no clear way out... After all that, they cut the troops Veteran benefits. FIGHT! and stop letting Bush and Karl Rove dictate to you what to say and when to say FIGHT this republican party that question your patriotism when ever you don’t agree with them; “ Either you are with us or you are with the terrorist” George W. Bush in a speech pushing for the Iraq war!

If John Kerry had fought during the 04 campaign like he’s fighting now he would be President.

[Disturbed]

32. I am disgusted by how many Dems are buying into

the RWing spin on his statement. They know damn well that he was referring to Busholini not the troops. Dems should know better than post stupid shit like the OP. Man, so many Dems are plain dolts.

[Change has come]

33. Welcome to DU

great first post.

[casus belli]

35. No, He shouldn't have. They don't want an apology, they want an admission of guilt. n/t

[JCMach1]

40. an Apology for misspeaking to troops and families... that's all that was needed

and Kerry failed yet another political test.

2008 I will take almost anyone but Kerry at this point.

[w4rma]

42. Bull fucking shit. (nt)

[JCMach1]

44. So, we should support someone who supported the Iraq War

because:

1. They believed the intelligence... or
2. They thought it was the smart choice given they were running for Pres.


Who in the face of really disparaging attacks (Swiftboaters) ignored the problem...

Who doesn't realize they have made too huge a gaffe to attack your critics and simply try to explain it away.

For me, this is the final straw for considering his future candidacy...

He really wasn't/isn't ready for PRIME TIME and Democrats NEED to win next time.

[w4rma]

45. You are fighting a battle that has been over for more than two years. (nt)

[JCMach1]

48. Not really, Kerry has been threatening to renew the battle

and trust I voted for Kerry over Bush and would gladly do so again.

The party needs to consider other options in 2008.

[radwriter0555]

36. I think it was good for showing how the repubs are like rancid pit bulls

attacking the nice dog in the herd.

It's been a feeding frenzy and it shows how the republicans are really hyped up and shrill and desperate... We're seeing their true colors.

[Red Right and BLUE]

46. I second the "bite me". This is ridiculous. nt

[raysr]

47. Why do Dems always have

to apologize? That statement was taken out of context. If the pukes don't like it fuck them. If the the troops don't like it fuck them too. Taken out of context it's still true. 650,000+ dead Iraqis to 2900 US "troops", mercenaries. Webster: 1 : serving merely for pay or sordid advantage : VENAL; also : GREEDY

[earth mom]

49. Bullshit.

That those who stole the election from Kerry and sent the troops to Iraq for an illegal war are demanding an apology is the height of hypocrisy and is about one of the most sickening things I've seen in awhile. No scratch that. It's par for the course isn't it?! Considering what they did to Michael J. Fox., to the Katrina Victims, and oh yeah to the entire population of the U.S. by trashing the Constitution...yeah that list is endless!

Heads up: The people and the soldiers are owned an apology from the THEM, not from Kerry!!! :puke: