For those of you who think John Kerry needs to apologize to make it 'go away'...

[kmla]

You can gladly have your opinion, and post it here. It's a big bulletin board.

If you want to have a meely-mouthed, apologetic, spineless twit speak for you, that is your prerogative. Perhaps you should form your own politcal party and draft a Wally Cox clone to head it for you. Or maybe Tom Daschle. 'twould be swell.

However, for those of us who don't agree - This is how I feel.

I have had fucking ENOUGH of spineless Democrats. I want my leaders to have a big pair. So big he or she walks bow-legged. Not some milquetoast dimwit who apologizes when he flubs the line of a joke when it was taken the wrong way. A joke that wasn't even insulting to anyone when he flubbed it.

If you think an apology will make this all go away, and restore dignity, then fine. You are welcome to your opinion. But pick up your schedule for your tie-dye class and macrame workshop on the way out of the door. And don't forget to review the lyrics for 'Kumbaya' so you can all sing them in harmony and sound nice.

The rest of us are gonna stay here and fight for what's right.

(Edited for bad grammar.)

[Virginia Dare]

1. Keep talking about Iraq...

and the giant charlie foxtrot that Bush, Cheney et al LIED us into. That is the LAST thing they want.

Keep talking about Iraq Saint Johnny McCain and how you want to send more troops over there for useless slaughter.

Keep talking you assholes!!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Bravo!

If I read one more comment about how, whether or when Kerry should apologize, I'm gonna :puke:. No apologies.

[SpiralHawk]

3. UNFAIR: The Tie-dye Anti-Defamation League is gonna be all over this

inflammatory post.

Tie-Dyers Unite !!!!

[kmla]

6. My advance apologies of the United League of Professional Tie-dye Practicioners.

No insult intended.

Just pokin' fun at the amateur tie-dyers.

:D

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Sigh

Apologizing (or clarifying), and attacking, are not, in any way, mutually exclusive. In fact, some sort of apology/clarification, along with a withering attack, would have been all the more powerful.

Like you, I'm tired of spineless "Democrats". But I'm not sure that this is applicable in this situation - it's more applicable to things like fleeing from censure/impeachment, and so forth.

[sojourner]

19. I'd say he "clarified" his statement AND came out with a good attack...what else should he do

....turn water into wine or walk on water? I like the journal on DU's front page about the "double standard". Media and nation let the shrub get away with the most insulting and idiotic statements. Somehow the repubs are managing to make a slip of the tongue equivalent to chasing pages down the halls of congress or covering up for the perv doing the chasing.......... and people who demand an apology are helping.

It's far past time for dems to stop backing down and stop acting mealy-mouthed. Anyone with a brain knows Kerry didn't insult the troops - and rather than cancel campaign appearances candidates should proudly have Kerry with them and trumpet the news: Dems are not taking it anymore.

[babylonsister]

5. Perfect, Rec'd, and thanks! nt

[0007]

7. LOL!! I agree

junior's too stupid to realize that Kerry hit the bullseye.

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. !!!

:evilgrin:

[seabeyond]

except a day later coming out kerry clearly meant bush and everyone

knows it... so the apology would be for what? how foolish and weak kerry would look to apologize for something he clearly did not do... no this is backfiring and showing bushco's to be the pretenders they are... and jerking people around on an emotional rollercoaster when not necessary.

[ArmchairMeme]

31. Agree Kerry dissing Bush - worked just fine

I knew when I first saw it that Kerry was referring to *Bush when talking about lack of education. So when I saw M$M asking for Kerry to apoligize for insulting the troops I thought - what?

Now I see it as a masterful move on Kerry's part. He knew that *Bushco would distort it and use it as they did. Now the discussion is back to the Iraqi mess and only a few days before election!. Great move.

[Swamp Rat]

8. No apology necessary ... move on ... BUSHLER KILLED AMERICAN TROOPS

IN AN ILLEGAL WAR!!!

[peacetalksforall]

10. Well said. Thanks. Enough of nicey-nice and backing off..

Our country is at stake. We don't have guns or the media - we don't spend billions on filthy tricks - we only have a fight in us to save the country. Our weapon is our position, our actions to save the country, and educating others (too often in lieu of our leaders doing anything).

[Sammy Pepys]

11. Kerry needs to apologize because it was a stupid thing to say...

Whether he was botching a joke or not doesn't make a difference.

[Exiled in America]

14. Yeah, criticizing the president is stupid.....

:eyes:

[Sammy Pepys]

38. I'm all for him criticizing the President...

..but when you misspeak to that degree, you need to issue an apology.

[stillrockin]

25. If you believe that, cast your mind back to '04.

This isn't about logic, it's about controlling the message.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

12. The more Kerry responds, the longer the story will go on.

He needs to shut up. Everyone else needs to attack Bushco's handling of the war when the subject is brought up.

[Exiled in America]

16. GOOD. We want this story to go on, as long as Kerry is on the offensive

Republicans are trying their old tactics which ONLY WORK BECAUSE DEMOCRATS PREDICTABLY BOW TO THEIR WILL EVERY TIME. When a democrat apologizes for telling the truth because a Republican says they have to, the story doesn't go away. It doesn't. It just becomes an un-arguable point that the Republicans were right and the Democrats were wrong and they keep bringing it up over and over and over again.

That strategy only works when Democrats act like cowards. If you keep running from the school yard bully he'll keep chasing you. But if you turn around one time and punch him hard in the mouth, he'll think twice before coming after you again (got that quote from somewhere but I don't know where).

This story WORKS FOR US as long as Kerry stands tough and as long as every other Democrat stands tough.

Now, the moment some other democrat comes out and says Kerry should apologize, we're fucking finished. And I'm sure that's going to happen at any moment, because national democrats are fully of so many pandering pussies I could just vomit.

[Double T]

13. Time for ALL of 'US' to get OFF this subject.........

there is plenty of important 'stuff' to do before the election, and THIS is certainly NOT one of THEM.

[BootinUp]

15. What if we don't want to leave?

What if I don't agree with your premise that Kerry clarifying and apologizing for saying what he wanted to say in a clumsy way is spineless?

I think its spineless to make excuses and twist the context clearly differently than what it was. He was talking to kids about how to not be a recruiting target ie how to not be left with few opportunities.

[kmla]

27. Actually...

He was making a joke pertaing to " if youy don't study, and don't do your homework, you will get US stuck in a quagmire in Iraq."

His flubbed joke was making fun of George Bush. Not telling kids how not to be a recruiting target.

*sigh*

[BootinUp]

29. not buying that

Its a lame attempt to spin what he said imo.

[kmla]

30. Well, if you don't agree with my assessment, how about John Kerry's?

Statement of John Kerry Responding to Republican Distortions, Pathetic Tony Snow Diversions and Distractions

Washington – Senator John Kerry issued the following statement in response to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, assorted right wing nut-jobs, and right wing talk show hosts desperately distorting Kerry’s comments about President Bush to divert attention from their disastrous record:

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.

Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”

[BootinUp]

36. thanks

for posting the Kerry spin again. Unfortunately he chose to spin his way out instead of admitting he was telling them they would be recruiting targets like so many others that drop out of school.

[kmla]

37. Whatever....

:eyes:

[robinlynne]

17. besides, if he apologizes (for nothing) it would be fodder for the republicans.

[_dynamicdems]

18. AMEN! I'm tired of having to cower and watch everything we say lest we

come under attack by the Republican attack machine.

Who's afraid of the big, bad Rove?

"You can stand me up at the gates of Hell, but I won't back down." - Tom Petty

[stillrockin]

20. I stand with you.

First off, he wasn't even talking about the troops, but *. He should stay in their face, repeat his message CLEARLY and not buy into their disingeneous bullshit.

[devilgrrl]

21. DUers who think he should apologize - should go away!

Go! Leave! Get out of here! Don't come back!

:nuke:

[sojourner]

22. I agree completely!

[Marr]

23. The double standard is jaw dropping.

Kerry's already issued more of an apology than Rush Limbaugh did for his MJ Fox attacks. But Limbaugh's un-apology was widely pushed as a "see, it's all better now" moment.

Looks at the Republican scandals that aren't getting any media attention right now- and then compare them to John Kerry's screwed up joke. It's amazing how Republicans can break the law and have the media ignore it simply because it's "close to the election", but a Democrat has a slip of the tongue and it's worthy of 24-hour coverage.

[Pathwalker]

24. George Bush needs to apologize, Dick Cheney

needs to apologize, and Donald Rumsfailed needs to apologize, and THE AMERICAN PRESS needs to apologize!
Kerry? Not the way I see it - I see a HATCHET JOB by an american press desperate to keep themselves from being investigated for accepting taxpayers money to shill for Bush(payola)!

[distantearlywarning]

26. I agree.

I think Kerry and everyone else should say what they feel and refuse to apologize for it. I'm sick unto death of spinelessness and tiptoeing around "but what would the Republicans say????" Who cares what they say? If they say something bad about what you said, say something worse about them. But get the truth out there. Get the truth out there. And don't apologize for it any more.

[understandinglife]

28. Vote # 10.

BE THE BU$H OPPOSITION - 24/7/365

[The Count]

32. I didn't know some here actually wanted that, but if so, well said.

First of all, "apologizing" never makes anything go away - remember Clinton & Monica?. When confronted with bullies - on any level - the more you give in, the more abusive they get.
Second, and most importantly - WTF is there to apologize?
Sam Seder on Air America keeps playing the clip of W looking for WMDs under the table.
Kerry was speaking about Bush - He got stuck in Iraq. The troops are merely the pawns for these idiots.

[hiphopnation]

33. My only question is...

where were these cajones back in '04?

Apologize? Pfft.

I got your apology right here:




Finally a Dem STANDING UP TO THESE JACKASSES!!

Staring them down!! Playing at thier OWN GAME!!!

Apologize!?!?!?!?!?


great post, btw.

k&r

[kmla]

35. Thanks!

Most of my posts are Lounge-oriented. I don't venture in here much.

But I thought it had to be said.

I'll even admit to owning tie-dye shirts...

Macrame? No fucking way.

[INdemo]

34. I am not a spineless Democrat..

I have been a Democrat for over 40 years. the Republican party of today are the ones that are spineless..They aren't even a political party..They are a group of corrupt individuals that have become masters at spreading propaganda and brain washing their constituents. And the reason their propaganda works so well is because the corporate media are like predators hiding in the bushes waiting to attack their prey..
A story that we haven't heard about is Bush's comment about voting for the Democrats is voting for terrorism..
I think if the wording is correct, an apology may serve the Democratic party better than allowing Karl Rove and the corporate media to continue this ridiculous propaganda blitz....

[followthemoney]

39. Durbin apologized (sort of ) for comparing the torture scenes in Abu Graib

to those of totalitarian regimes and looked weak to me. So now torture is legal. What was gained?

There is no defense as strong as the truth.

The Katrina style of managerial incompetence was responsible for the 9-11 attacks and its faulty investigation as well as the Iraq invasion.

The psychopathic killer types will rise to the top under any form of government. Any government worthy of that name must be able to restrain that type as they arise, whether they be president, king or unitary executive.