Is it me, or is Mr. Kerry always responding to today’s crisis with yesterday’s rhetoric? His response to the “get stuck in Iraq” controversy is the one he should have given to the Swift Boaters. Today, however, his speech just made him sound out of touch and combative.
The explanation given by the Kerry team, and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, is that Mr. Kerry was telling a joke about President Bush but that the joke got mangled. He accidentally omitted a few words that significantly distorted the meaning.
What Mr. Kerry said:
“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. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
What Mr. Kerry claims he meant to say:
“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. If you don’t, you end up getting us stuck in Iraq.”
But Sen. Kerry didn’t apologize for misspeaking. Instead, he came out swinging at Republicans. The thrust of his argument was that he served in the military and if anyone thinks that he would say something negative about the troops, then that person is obviously a “Republican hack.”
Mr. Kerry totally avoided the issue that he undeniably said something negative about the brave men and women serving our country. He never provides us context. He never apologizes that the joke came out incorrectly. All he does is say, “I served, so I wouldn’t attack men and women in uniform” and “Republicans are hacks for taking offense at my words.”
Mr. Kerry, you have proven you don’t have the even an ounce of political instinct. I would suggest, however, that you hire somebody who does. Actually, I take that back. Please, keep talking. For the sake of your country, please keep talking.
UPDATE: After watching it again, I’m even more stunned by Mr. Kerry’s remarks. He keeps hammering away, over and over, about smear tactics and slime machines and Republican hacks. He, and the rest of the Democrats, must be very scared about this mistake.