Kerry did make a big mistake when he bungled the punch line for the joke. When these politicians going to learn that they are not comedians and therefore should not try to humor the crowd? Just speak about the issues. Keryy's mistake and later his response to Republican attack, is going to keep this phony issue going while the real issue of our troops being asked to get out of Sadr city and thus US losing control in iraq is on the back burner. If Kerry problem did not happen, the Democrats could have asked Bush to explain why are our troops prevented from searching for our kidnapped soldier in the Sadr city?

Did Bush ever appologize for his WMD joke (not under here, not over here)at the media gala?

The bottom line is that the knuckle-draggers who are too stupid to understand that it was a botched "joke" were already going to vote GOP like would be cast members of the "Night of the Living Dead".

I am calling for a hot dem blonde girl to help "comedian" Kerry and the cause, and fly to Aruba and hide in the divi-divi trees for the remaining week.

This unselfish act would return the corporate news cycle to it's intended function.

Great post, Steve.

PAZ

Your list makes Kerry's mistake seem rather inconsequential, huh?

Kerry is a Democrat. You can't hold him accountable for anything he says or does. Thats what Republicans are for.

This rocks, Steve ... and this is how the Democrats should be responding.

will someone anyone please follow your lead on this issue? Why not kerry?can't he have apress conference say what you did and wait for the boy kings's response? Today Toney snow fell over himself with a new demension to snide regarding Kery's faux pas. Dear god doesn't anyone have a brain in the democratic leadership?

On Countdown last night, Olbermann reported on this in the most unique way imaginable. He was nonplused, saying that he's gotten the joke, so why didn't Bush or anyone else? The funny thing to me is that if you hear Kerry making the statement, you can get the joke. But if read it, you really don't get the inflection.

In a close, midterm election season, if you have an iota of commonsense (which Cousin Kerry apparently lacks) you don't make jokes that in any way, shape or form, involve U.S. troops when they're engaged in combat in a faraway land.

What Cousin Kerry accomplished magnificently, was hand Karl Rove and the GOP, ammunition to use against Democrats running for reelection and for office the first time.

As I predicted last night and again this morning, Cousion Kerry's "botched joke" is all that's on CNN, MSNBC and FOXNews (GOP-TV), and I can absolutely promise you, Cousin Kerry's "botched joke" will be the centerpiece of 11th hour GOP ads in close House and Senate races all weekend long.

John Kerry needs to be muzzled and taken to a secure, undisclosed location, where he can't make anymore jokes or do any more damage before next Tuesday. He's become a distraction from the myriad of failures of the Bush administration.

If I didn't know better, I would think Cousin Kerry was on the RNC's payroll.

Kerry kinda, sorta had the right idea when he apologized for a 'botched joke.' But he should've just said:

I told the joke badly, in a way that made it sound like I was saying our troops were stupid. I meant to say that their Commander in Chief is stupid. Really, really stupid. I apologize for the misunderstanding, and I promise to work on my delivery.

Holy God, Steve. I felt the force of that slap-in-the-face over here. You could not have pegged the sentiment any more forcefully. Kudos and appropriate 'props' to you.

I forgot to add one other thing.

Liberal blogs who are trying to spin Cousin Kerry's astonishing faux pax in a positive light, just don't get it and certainly don't understand the nature of national politics.

Already, leading Democratic candidates are distancing themselves from Kerry, saying on the record that his remarks were wrong and asking that he apologize and asking that he not make campaign appearances with them.

Begone, Concern Troll!

dj moonbat,

Was that post intended for me?

Already, leading Democratic candidates are distancing themselves from Kerry, saying on the record that his remarks were wrong and asking that he apologize and asking that he not make campaign appearances with them.

And that's fine. Their prime concern is winning elections in 6 days.

The guy made a stupid mistake. He didn't respond to the swift boaters and look where that got him. I agree with dj. The biggest problem with his 'apology' was that he didn't take the opportunity to clarify what he was trying to say.

Was that post intended for me?

If the shoe fits...

Well said.

Begone, Concern Troll!

I've gotta defend Christopher here, he's not being a concern troll, he just has an opinion contrary to the majority here. Kind of like how I readily voice disagreement with the fantasy of Gore running for Pres in 2008.

Was that post intended for me?

If the shoe fits...

Don't make me stop this car!

Kerry made a misstatement that the repulsive-cons siezed on. It is no different than the repulsive-cons attempting to use the New Jersey ruling as a wedge issue. It is simply one of their tactics and they have the upper hand in the MSM...but...Kerry is getting the opportunity for airtime if he can use it to our advantage. I would like to see the same lines repeated over and over again, aimed at Snow and the misadministration. The points can come from Steve's 8:33 post.

Unsure of what the republi-cons in you're area are thinking, but in my uber-conservative neck of the bible belt they acknowledge and firmly state that if you are poor or stupid the way out is the military. Kerry's statement will not effect the right because they were voting for r's in the first place. Indies are against the Iraq war so they won't vote r. And Democrats? I don't foresee them rushing to vote r over Kerry's gaff.

And the military recruiting the best and brightest? Fucking please!

After Steven Green, who served in the 101st Airborne Division, was charged in a rape and quadruple murder in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, it was disclosed that he had been "a high-school dropout from a broken home who enlisted to get some direction in his life, yet was sent home early because of an anti-social personality disorder."

Sorry. Anybody who thinks that it's our job to worry about Kerry right now, as the election approaches, is not worried about what's best for us.

I see that KKKarl the Pig has demanded that Kerry apologize.

LOL.

Consider the Shark Jumped.

Fuck off, Rove.

Let's see botched joke vs. botched War...we report you decide.

Steve well said!

Steve, excellent post.

Kerry's mangled sentence is not the issue. A side issue in this election is the fact that Republicans have nothing to run on and are desperately looking for something, anything to distract the voters. The one and only issue, front and center, the one Republicans can't run away from, is George W. Bush and his failed policies.

I'll defend Christopher and dj - tensions are high, let's use that energy to beat the crap outta the 'pukes, not each other! Deal?

Screw you coyote!

"I told the joke badly, in a way that made it sound like I was saying our troops were stupid. I meant to say that their Commander in Chief is stupid. Really, really stupid. I apologize for the misunderstanding, and I promise to work on my delivery."....Lunar Chiroptera should be working for the Kerry camp. IT'S PERFECT!

Can we all agree that Kerry fouled up the joke before he fouled up the "explanation"?

Now can the corporate media please get back to covering MIA blondes in Aruba?

Yeah, snark? Bite me! Phhhhlllltttt!

Sorry, the cranky Catholic got the better of me.

Do ya' think scout lost his computer priviledges for bad behavior?

dj moonbat,

After you extract your nose from John Kerry's rectum, you might find it interesting to learn that thanks to your hero's stunning narcassism, the RNC is now rethinking their decision to abandon Ohio and will run new campaign ads this weekend using Kerry's "botched joke" remarks in ads for Sen. Mike DeWine.

Your mouth flaps as much as Kerry's but you clearly have zero understanding of how the political game is played at the national level.

Might want to learn before you weigh in.

Time to call in Rodney King me thinks.

Yes, Christopher, I can see how much help you've been to the cause.

What happened to the defiant Sen. John Kerry: 'I Apologize to No One'?

In an unscheduled call-in interview this morning, Senator John Kerry (D-Ma) spoke with Don Imus about his misstatements in a speech Monday. He said that he is “sorry for the botched joke,” and that “everybody knows I botched a joke.” He also says he is going back to Washington so that he is “not a distraction” to the campaigns.

Best said, he retreats back home to DC and cancels his scheduled appearances before the candidates tell him not to come. Now, he's just like Pelosi, Reid, Durbin, Hoyer...no where to be seen. Afraid to upset the apple cart and blow another election. Nice check Karl, write him a bonus.

To quote another..."I guess he was for the joke before he was against it."

Wow, petey, that was really funny...the first time I heard it yesterday. Mehlboy's blast fax came a little late, did it?

``Senator Kerry's remarks were poorly worded and just plain stupid,'' Tester said in a statement late yesterday. ``He owes our troops and their families an apology.''

“Whatever the intent, Senator Kerry was wrong to say what he said,” Rep. Ford said. “He needs to apologize to our troops.”

Two Democratic senate want to be's.

Then there's Sen Kerry's response to Trent Lotts botched joke a few years ago.... . . . "I simply do not believe the country can today afford to have someone who has made these statements again and again be the leader of the United States Senate."

See the picture from Iraq:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1730016/posts

They took offense.

OK, CNN just had the apology from Kerry.

peter, Did you hear about the soldier that bu$h left behind in Baghdad?

Christopher,

I'm not quite sure why you're so adamant that Kerry wasn't really making a stab at Bush as he says. Clearly, when you lsten to his comments in context and when you read the comments as they were supposed to be delivered the target was Bush. Not the troops. I think you've allowed your hatred for Kerry to get the better of you. You should put so much energy into fighting the fact that the GOP has nothing to offer but more distortions and lies.

Yawn. petey's being boring again.

Steve, okay if I send your list to my local paper? It would be perfect for the weekend edition.

SOS, you know petey was against the soldiers before he was for them. What does he care if Bush leaves 'em behind or sends more to their deaths? They woulda died anyhow, right?

snark,

Your lack of understanding of the political process is almost as stunning as John Kerry's narcissism. I wish I could be a gadfly like you, but some of us actually want to see a Democratic victory next Tuesday, followed by an end to the Iraq war, funding for stem cell research and an end of tax cut for the ultra-wealthy.

I'll leave defending John Kerry to you.

Your lack of understanding of the political process is almost as stunning as John Kerry's narcissism.

My understanding of the political process has led me to believe that the thing most voters distrust about Democrats is cowardice. Fixating on a stupid mistake and flagellating Kerry, rather than moving on, backing down in the face of trumped-up GOP bullshit for the nth time, only makes that perception worse, right before an election. Even if wrong, the thing to do was to attack.

Yes, Christopher, I can see how much help you've been to the cause. - dj moonbat

How many campaigns do you currently volunteer for?

How many presidential campaigns have you been involved in?

I've became an activist in local, state and national Democratic campaigns in 1988.

And you? Please don't embellish.

And what is continuing to slam him going to do to help the Democrats win Christopher? What is your making personal attacks on Kerry, like the GOP is doing, going to do to help? Please tell us. What are you going to achieve by claiming that Kerry really was taking a dig at the troops? What. Enlighten us. And drop the hyperbole. It's so juvenile.

Wwll, what's next in the "conservative" Arsenal of Irrelevance?

WH Stenographers Pool, ready your notebooks and digi-cams for Snowjob's next pronouncement of outrage.....and they're off and running!

National debt explosion? Iraq in chaos according to the Army? Global warming on the brink of irreversibility? Congressional corruption? Threats of war against Iran? Unsustainable tax cuts? Unsustainable energy position? Declining real wages? Failed education policy? Increasing poverty, bankruptcies and historic wealth concentration? Looming fiscal catastrophe? Loss of health care and increasing economic insecurity?

Televised Press: "Wouldn't dream of it".

Anything, absolutely anything but the actual issues facing the country.

Your lack of understanding of the political process is almost as stunning as John Kerry's narcissism.

You seem to be easily stunned. Perhaps if you stepped down from that high horse...

How many campaigns do you currently volunteer for?

How many presidential campaigns have you been involved in?

I've became an activist in local, state and national Democratic campaigns in 1988.

And I bet you're better looking than all of us too?

Was someone talking about narcissism?

snark,

A gadfly is by its nature juvenile, so I'm not surprised to see you use this language. As I stated on a previous thread (now pay attention), the best thing Kerry can do at this point to help Democrats is stop speaking to the media. The proverbial genie is out of the bottle; the damage is done; the GOP received a fresh shipment of ammunition to use against Democrats. Kerry's latest foot-in-mouth is almost as bad as saying he voted for the Iraq war before he voted against it. I can't make it any more simple for you.

snark,

Your handle is certainly appropriate.

Yes Christopher, although I agree with you generally 99% of the time, this comment really is overboard and I had to speak up.

....I wish I could be a gadfly like you, but some of us actually want to see a Democratic victory next Tuesday,...

That one comment was really out of the republican playbook (Do you want us to win in Iraq?). Talk about losing the argument even with people such as myself who tolerate discourse even among the same side. I'd have to agree with others here it appears that your personal hatred for Kerry is really getting the best of you. I mean come on, who really who among the regulars (minus the usual culprits) on this center left blog doesn't want a Democratic victory next Tuesday?

Let's move on here..what has been said by Kerry cannot be unsaid at this point. But one thing can happen and that is let's stop feeding into the media and repuke frenzy and frame here. Let's stop doing what repukes want us to do. They want us attacking one another all in an effort to divide and conquer. Let's not give them what they want.

I've became an activist in local, state and national Democratic campaigns in 1988.

So when are you going to apologize to the rest of us for that stunt with Dukakis in a tank? C'mon, hop to it!

emal,

Those of us who worked tirelessly on the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign pretty much view him with contempt today.

He may still have his financial warchest but, he would be hardpressed to assemble a team from 2004. And that is unheard of in presidential politics.

Christopher, could you pause in your five minute hate for just a moment, scroll up, and read peter's posts? Sound familiar? Then take a deep breath and a valium, and forget your anger for a moment.

Are you helping Dems by fighting with other dems?

How does keeping Kerry's flub alive even one more day, help the Dems?

Kerry will be there next Wednesday. Can you swallow your anger for one more week? Now is not the time to whack out. We need to be united right now.

If Kerry's trivial comment, utterly irrelevant to any issue facing the country today, is manufactured into an "issue" by desperate Republicans and a compliant braindead 24/7 televised media, and ultimately substantially effects the election, then the country and its democracy was beyond salvaging.

A nation whose history is altered (or can be altered) by such a meaningless comment was too far gone to begin with.

Your handle is certainly appropriate.

Thank you.

And forgive me. I clearly don't want a Democratic victory as much as you do. I feel so ashamed of myself.

So when are you going to apologize to the rest of us for that stunt with Dukakis in a tank? C'mon, hop to it!

I still think Michael Dukakis was a better candidate than George HW Bush. Sorry if you don't.

I still think Kerry was a better candidate that Dubya. Sorry if you don't.

That solves it!

I think if we all hold John Kerry in contempt we should prettymuch propel the Democrats to victory on Tuesday!

Who's with me?

Who's with me?

Huzzah! We have found the key to perpetual electoral victory! Three cheers for Kerry-contempt!

I hate John Kerry! Woohoo! What do I win?

Well, 6 days before the midterm elections and the 24/7 cable news cycle has morphed from covering Bush's failed Iraq war, the waning fortunes of the GOP, the overrated genius of Karl Rove, and speculation about whether Bush will be impeached to, wall to wall coverage of Sen. John Kerry and his chronic Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

Nothing coyote. You clearly don't hate Kerry as much as Christopher does. So he wins.

Sorry.

I hold the cable news media in contempt!

I still think Kerry was a better candidate that Dubya. Sorry if you don't.

I worked on Kerry's campaign. Sorry if you didn't.

I'm gonna go engage in a few hours of hand wringing now.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1730016/posts

Did you see the big grins on their faces? They're in on the joke. These guys are cool!

Now, petey, pay attention. You see how snark, dj and christopher are talking to each other? You feel the tension? You hear these different words? My goodness, it appears they are about to come to blows! Ya see, petey, this is called Democracy. It's a thing you failed supporters of conservatism don't have in your party. You are one, unified, stupid voice. Christopher et al are exchanging a thing we call "ideas". They are sharing a thing we call "perspective". Let's contrast that with you and your respective moron leaders discussions about Iraq: "Stand in Iraq and die!"

I think I like our discussions much better!

Back to it, boys. Marquess of Queensbury rules.

I'm gonna go engage in a few hours of hand wringing now.

Make sure to use some lotion.

iamcoyote,

I'll pause for a kumbaya moment with you after we regain control of the Congress next Tuesday.

Make sure to use some lotion.

I will not!

I have nothing but contempt for lotion!

I have nothing but contempt for lotion!

That's the spirit! Stupid, narcissistic lotion.

Back to it, boys. Marquess of Queensbury rules.

Hahahahaha! Phidipides, you fraking peacemaker, you. Peace out.

I hate John Kerry! Woohoo! What do I win?

A years supply of Heinz Ketchup!

I worked on Kerry's campaign

And we all saw how well that worked out, huh?

I'll pause for a kumbaya moment with you

Shall I bring the smores?

I have nothing but contempt for lotion!

Ow! stop it! It hurts!

Back to it, boys. Marquess of Queensbury rules.

Oh God, Christopher! I used "Queen" in a sentence. Now snark is going to nail me with that Broke Back Mountian Hollywood leftcoast liberal faggot thing... Crap!

Dang, I hope Christopher doesn't see Steve's latest post! Duck everyone!

Hey, Christopher is one of the good guys and is on our side. He's entitled to his opinion (which I agree with by-the-way). I just think there is too much at stake to even think of joking about Iraq or our soldiers. It was a mistake, let's move on.

Judith, it was never in doubt that Christopher was one of the goodies, at least for me. And he held his own, I like to think we parted on good terms - well, silly terms, maybe. But still...

Iamcoyote, I think all is well on the center left front.

Steve, excellent post. The Democrats need to hire you as a political consultant.

Thanks, Judith.

I have very strong opinions about Kerry, having met and been a part of his 2004 campaign. He was and remains, a huge disappointment. Most of it based on his waffling positions on social issues.

The good news is, this latest fracas is the nail in his political coffin. Any hopes (fantasies?) he entertained to run for president, are dead.

Thank goodness.

I'll join you in that, Christopher. I'm glad he's out of the '08 picture.