When he ran for President back in 2004, John Kerry (perhaps you've heard, he served in Vietnam), made the usual promises about taking care of the troops and fighting a "smarter" war on terror. While it sounded good (at least to the Senator and his handlers), Kerry's supposed concern for the military didn't survive the attacks of his fellow Swift Boat veterans, who reminded us that Kerry's subsequent anti-war activities betrayed his comrades, and all who served in Vietnam.
If you ever wondered what John Kerry really thinks about the military--and those who serve--look no further than yesterday's campaign appearance in California. Appearing on the stump for gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, Kerry revealed his obvious contempt for those serving in the armed forces: (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin).
“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.
Michelle also has a great round-up of reaction to Kerry's comments, including a contrast between the feckless Senator, and a man who--by his reckoning--wasn't smart enough to do anything but "get stuck in Iraq." The service member in question is Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a SEAL who died in battle last month. When an enemy grenade landed in his sniper position, Monsoor threw himself on the weapon, using his body to shield his comrades from the blast. Monsoor's selfless actions saved the lives of other SEALs. He will almost certainly be nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
When you go to the polls next week, think long and hard about who you want in charge of the nation's military, and those who wear the uniform. Then do the right thing.
What makes you think Kerry's comments were directed at the military? It seems more likely he was taking a jab at Bush.
ReplyDeleteI base my assessment on (a) Kerry's long history of slurs against the troops, dating back to his "Winter Soldier" book and testimony before Congress. During that little episode, he attacked the men he had served with just months earlier, accusing them of war crimes--charges that could not be substantiated.
ReplyDeleteFlash forward to the present day. Not many months ago, JFK (John Forbes Kerry) accused our troops of breaking into homes and terrorizing Iraqi women and children in the dead of night.
Now, the latest insult, just another comment that reveals Kerry's veiled contempt for those who serve. The man is clearly stuck in a post-Vietnam warp, where anyone in the military is supposedly inferior to those who avoided service in the armed forces.
Besides, if it was a dig against Bush, it would have flopped as well, given Kerry's premise. During the 2004 campaign, we learned that Mr. Bush (while hardly a Phi Beta Kappa candidate) actually had a higher G.P.A. at Yale than Kerry, and he went on to earn an M.B.A. at Harvard. Last time I checked, you still had to earn your graduate degree at the Harvard Business School.
Kerry can spin all he wants, but his gaffe came across as an insult to our troops and (once again) his characterization has no basis in fact. A Heritage Foundation report from last year found military recruits rank higher than their civilian contemporaries in terms of (a) high school graduation rates; (b) overall education, and (c) socio-economic status. For every two recruits from poor counties, there are two more from wealthy counties, so it's a myth that only the poor and uneducated serve in the armed forces.
Just my guess but, Kerry has been marched out there and told to mouth off on behalf of the Dems to throw off support for the Dems. In other words, Hillary wants to run in '08; she doesn't want a majority in either house for the next two years and inherit a big mess going into campaign season. So, to not win a majority in either house this year, I think the Dems are trying to scuttle their potential and continue to fight the White House until '08 campaign season. Then when it's time to campaign the Dems will bang the drum of "look at how Bush got nothing done these last two years ('07 & '08) and build a platform from that.
ReplyDeleteOf course Hillary and others have marched out in front of the cameras today saying Kerry is a "bad guy" shouldn't have said what he said, needs to apologize etc..
It's all the Hollywood front and facade that is their game. No substance, no guts, just hand over the country to the terrorists looking as if they really care.