"Even before Jane Fonda went to Hanoi to meet with the enemy and mock America, John Kerry secretly met with enemy leaders in Paris though we were still at war, and Americans were being held in North Vietnamese prison camps," goes the voiceover of "Sellout," one of the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads that may have helped push GW over the top in 2004. As we blogged then, it is "a masterpiece of the admaker's art, alternating spooky soundbites and black-and-white images from the past -- Kerry's younger self testifying before the Senate re alleged Vietnam atrocities -- with full-color clips of the Swift Boat Vets as they are today, middle-aged men testifying to their sense of betrayal by the young Lieutenant Kerry when he returned home while they were still fighting over there and bad-mouthed them to the nation and the world."
"I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece [Tony Snow!] standing behind a podium or doughy Rush Limbaugh," steamed stuffed suit Democrat Party mouthpiece John Kerry standing behind a podium this afternoon as he tried ineffectually to stem the tsunami of criticism buffeting his future political hopes in the wake of a lame attempt at humor in a speech before a student audience last night:
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.
According to the failed presidential candidate in his brief, hastily called damage-control presser today, he had been referring to the President when he said "stuck in Iraq," but politicians and pundits and bloggers on the right side of the aisle had already made up their minds. Recognizing an October Surprise of their own when it was handed to them, they fanned out to proclaim in righteous indignation that Kerry was smearing the women and men of the military, casting them as "stuck in Iraq" because they had been "unable to navigate the country's education system." The White House -- via "stuffed suit" cutie pie Tony Snow -- accused the Senator of "troop-bashing," John McCain demanded an apology, and all the usual suspects piled on. As always, Michelle Malkin and HotAir have all the gory details and links to breaking news, commentary and a video link to the original foot-in-mouth moment. Now Fox News White House Correspondent Bret Baer reports that the President himself is about to respond to Kerry's comments, calling them insulting and shameful and noting that our military women and men did not enlist because they are somehow not smart or uneducated but because they are patriots, and Senator Kerry owes them an apology.
We must admit our first reading upon hearing the video earlier today was that Kerry was, indeed, referring to GW. But it was already too late. The Republican spin had already gone not halfway but all the way around the world before Kerry had a chance to put his microphone on. False but accurate comes home to roost?
This just in on Fox News banner: "Will Kerry's Iraq defeatism spell defeat for the Dems?" Yes!
Completely OT, but there I was in the London tube when I thought of you. Why, you might ask. Well, because there in front of my eyes was a little advert telling me nothing more than that "sisu" was a Finnish word meaning, determination in the face of adversity; struggle through the long winter (or thereabouts).
I suppose you knew that but I didn't.
Posted by: Knucklehead | October 31, 2006 at 05:05 PM
Knucklehead: I may have known it, but a woman always wants to be told. :-)
Posted by: Sissy WIllis | October 31, 2006 at 05:26 PM
The mish-mash couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. Let us hope the even scummier Mass. senator, Master Teddy gets the same.
Posted by: goomp | October 31, 2006 at 05:44 PM
'This just in on Fox News banner: "Will Kerry's Iraq defeatism spell defeat for the Dems?" Yes!'
LET'S ROLL
Posted by: hnav | October 31, 2006 at 10:01 PM
What can I say, Sisu. My first impression was that Kerry said what the Republicans say he said. That is pretty much what the printed english spells out. I suppose there might be more context, or perhaps an audience disposition to understand it differently. What can I say? Speaking clearly is a useful skill, and so is apology. Kerry seems to have failed on both counts.
Posted by: chuck | October 31, 2006 at 10:13 PM
So Tony Snow is a "stuffed suit" and Rush Limbaugh is "doughy"? And how does that serve to mitigate the asinine statement that came out of the mouth of Senator John F. Kerry (D-Teresa's Checkbook)?
Rush Limbaugh has more common sense and intelligence in one eyelash than John F. Kerry has in his entire body - doughy or not. And those characterizations are not too many steps from being pretty seriously un-P.C. - did John Kerry clear THAT with the DNC?
If he wanted to sabotage his future political prospects, I'd say he's done a masterful job? When did Hillary and Karl Rove start working together?
Posted by: Gayle Miller | November 01, 2006 at 03:58 PM
I'm not quite sure how you get George Bush out of the quote I've seen everywhere. I haven't seen it in any context such as the speech he was making... was he talking about the President when he made the remark?
Nevertheless, it was a stupid stupid thing to say. First, it insults everyone who was unable to get a college degree or who made poor marks in school. Second, with his record of non-support for the troops, it certainly can be taken as a slur against the troops themselves. Third, his complete meltdown in response to the criticism makes the actual substance of the comment even more likely to have been a slap at our military men and women.
But most of all...For a man who has made a career of slamming the military whenever possible. Of calling them baby killers and causing them to be humiliated in front of the world. Why wouldn't we immediately take his remarks in the manner they have been construed.
He's a miserable excuse for a human being - especially one who supposedly represents the people of Massachusetts. I hope this drags him so far down he never wins another election. It would be too much to hope he would step down. (Dick Durbin has already proved that you can call our military Nazi's and get away with it. I guessing Kerry will be no different)
Posted by: Teresa | November 01, 2006 at 04:52 PM
"I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium..."
If Kerry knows what's good for him -- yes, yes, I know he doesn't -- he'll have his mouth sewn shut. One stands behind a lectern. One stands on a podium.
Posted by: Francis W. Porretto | November 01, 2006 at 05:23 PM
Teresa -- Just reporting my first take . . . PLUS . . . I love to be the contrarian and am fascinated with dissecting the anatomy of a meme. The fact that Kerry is soakin' in it is just frosting on the cake. Can you say mixed metaphors?
Posted by: Sissy Willis | November 01, 2006 at 05:24 PM
Looks like Kerry apologized for the "stuck in Iraq" part of the insult.
Drudge has it.
Kerry has also pulled out of appearances with Dem candidates and an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, a lib's best friend.
Kerry is the most condescending ass in politics I have ever seen and heard.
That the real October surprise was delivered by a Democrat, and that it would be Kerry,the perfect liberal pompous fool, has me laughing all the way to the voter booth as I vote straight Republican.
Howard Dean said "bloopers happen ". Can it get any better ? LOL !!!
Posted by: Tara | November 01, 2006 at 06:13 PM
Unfortunately, before I read your post, I had gotten an earful or more from the radio of idiots who were defending this man and berating the zealots who are trying to flay him alive...
BTW - I heard he was on Imus grovelling this morning. Guess he tried to hit all the liberal shows to get the word out that he was "sorry". I'm supposing it was along the lines of "I'm sorry you're stupid and didn't understand me..." That seems to be about the only sort of "apology" that Dems can manage to offer.
Posted by: Teresa | November 01, 2006 at 07:01 PM
I've seen the tapes of the comment and he did NOT say "us stuck in Iraq" nor did he mention President George W. Bush. His apologists are trying to convince the credulous that he said one or both of those things but unfortunately "Stuck on Stupid" is stuck with the words that actually came out of his despicable mouth. And the New York Times can lie about what he said all they want (and they did for sure in today's edition) but every news outlet is playing what Kerry DID say and the Slimes lies aren't going to do anything but contribute to their further loss of influence.
Posted by: Gayle Miller | November 03, 2006 at 01:49 PM