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."
That comment has generated a firestorm from the White House. And now it is the top story on MSNBC, Yahoo, AP to Reuters...Kerry getting BLASTED by the GOP for his remarks.
Did John Kerry mean what he said? Probably not. But he was stupid for saying it. And it reminds me of the 2004 blunder when Kerry said:
"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."
The # 1 recommended diary here right now is
Kerry Smacks Down Snow, "Right Wing Nut-jobs"
So I might be going against popular opinion here on this blog, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong.
Everyone loves the fact that John Kerry is smacking down Tony Snow and the "right wing nut-jobs" - and standing up for himself. But here is the problem - John Kerry doesn't have any credibility when it comes to Iraq - and he is not going to help us win over undecided voters with his latest or past comments on Iraq.
Kerry has as much credibility on Iraq as Bush - and this is not a good time to have him running his mouth.
I'm glad he wants to campaign for Democrats...but let's stay on message. No need to get cute with your speeches. Kerry loves getting cute.
"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."
I know a lot of you are fired up with Kerry's press-release blasting Bush, but his message is not getting out - and of what is being reported, Kerry is coming out on the losing side of this fight.
As one commenter noted, Kerry is not just taking on the Bush White House - he is taking on traditional media. He's not going to win the war in framing the story - he already lost it and will continue to do so.
White House Spokesman Slams Kerry Remark
The White House accused Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday of troop-bashing, seizing on a comment the Democrat made to California students that those unable to navigate the country's education system ''get stuck in Iraq.''
''Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this,'' White House press secretary Tony Snow said. ''This is an absolute insult.''
This isn't going to rally the base. It's going to hurt Democrats in close races like MO, TN, MT, and VA. This may play well here with our acitivist base, but let's remember the bigger picture - we're trying to win back the House and Senate.
So...do we want this story to dominate the headlines? No.
Do we want John Kerry to be the Democratic Party's poster child for Iraq? No.
I know he has presidential aspirations for 2008, but Kerry can help us much more by donating $2-$3 million from his warchest and keeping a tight lid on his mouth.