Reactions to kerry's comments
miller8966
Posts: 1,450
Besides other dems now not wanting the ex presidential nominee to support them heres what the general public feels in regards to the remark. From the Foxnews website:
I have a smile on my face when I tell a joke, even if I botch it. It is obvious Kerry wasn't joking, as he continues to sling petty verbal arrows toward President Bush. All politicians should wake up and realize the majority of American people have an aversion to personal attacks and tactics used by grade-schoolers. I can disagree with someone's position, while at the same time respecting his or her right to have it. Apparently, Kerry and others of his ilk on both sides of the aisle have issues in this area." — Quinn
"Kerry blew his slam on President Bush. Think about it. One week before the election, would you be talking about the education level and intelligence of the troops or the education level and intelligence of your opposing party's leader? Watch him on TV; he hesitates and tries to find his joke in his notes just as he is screwing up. What he probably meant to say is, if you don't get educated, and you don't make yourself smart then you could end up leading the country into a war. This sounds like typical liberal rhetoric and would have been much funnier to a young liberal crowd. As much as Kerry has shown in the past that he has little respect for our troops, don't think for a second that there was anything to gain from his delivered comments. Hate Kerry for his policies, not these comments." — Mike
"What good would an apology do? We all know how Kerry feels about the military. Any apology would be the equivalent of crocodile tears and only offered for political purposes after an outcry from the majority of Americans. John Kerry is an enemy of our troops and his academic, elitist, and know-it-all attitude is reflective of what's going on at our college campuses." — Bonny (Shelbyville, TX)
"Whether John Kerry's comments were directed at our troops or at our president, his remark says a lot about the mean spirit within the man. What comes out of the mouth, comes from the heart. We could use more statesmen and fewer politicians on both sides." — Fred (Cary, NC)
"I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He says his joke was supposed to have the punch line — "...just look at George Bush." But even so, the analogy he was making in his attempt to skewer the president was that uneducated, stupid people only have the military as a career option, and that's not only very wrong, but very condescending and shameful." — Susan (Baltimore, MD)
"Yes, Kerry should apologize to the fine men and women of our country serving to protect us (and Kerry's family). Regardless of the intent, he did offend! His arrogance by refusing to apologize to our troops will definitely help Republicans. If he had humbled himself and apologized, he could have bolstered his image and the Democratic Party. Now, he continues to degrade his image (and that of the Dems) by degrading not only our president, but also our troops!" — Kelli
"Kerry can rationalize all he wants about the meaning but the words remain the same. Even if he was correct in his view of the intention, he should apologize to the troops that his comments were misunderstood and were not intended for them. He should apologize for having inadvertently offended them. " — Gary
"To castigate Kerry for a remark that obviously wasn't meant to denigrate the troops is typical of the egregiously broad brush of intellectual dishonesty that highlights this political season. Kerry would never denigrate troops; he is neither that cold-hearted nor that stupid. Whereas George Washington supposedly couldn't lie about cutting down a cherry tree, George Bush is lying in cherry-picking from a cut-down aimed at him. Shame on Bush and his boys for making a stink bomb out of a foggy statement." — George (Charleston, SC)
"The word 'apology' has lost its true meaning in today's world. It has become an empty word not worth very much. Don't even bother asking Kerry to 'apologize.' The damage has been done and the hurt is still there." — JSM (Glendale, AZ)
"I am sickened by John Kerry's comments. I have a son in Iraq right now. He left college in February 2005 to join the active service. Kerry's displaced anger with President Bush or the GOP, does not give him the right to insult 140,000+ American patriots. I wish Senator Kerry well in his future political campaigns. I don't think he could win the election for dog catcher after this." — Debra (Ames, IA)
"If John Kerry has all the answers, why wasn't he elected president?" — Shawn
"Our son is in the military. What was said was a disgrace. I cannot believe what we heard. That's it — enough is enough. We truly hope that every family who have military personnel in the armed services shows their anger on November 7." — Greg and Debbie
"Sen. Kerry ought to join Al Gore on the Polar Ice Cap and just melt away. What a jerk." — Frank (South Carolina)
"Yesterday, Sen. Kerry again put his foot in his mouth. Today he put his other foot in his mouth. I know he has a BIG mouth, but he is running out of feet." — Betty (Brewster, NY)
"Kerry displayed his hatred for the military after Vietnam, and he continues do to so. I guess integrity, honesty and selflessness, the traits displayed daily by our military, are traits he tries to avoid." — George
"Let's get real. The man volunteered to enter combat in Vietnam. It is amazing to me that we are even talking about this. If you really want to respect the troops, let's give them real support: the resources that they need to actually fight the war. Lip service has never saved a single life. TALK ABOUT ISSUES!" — Douglas
"Kerry's arrogance will never let him get over losing to President Bush. Giving Kerry the benefit of the doubt though, he should have explained what he meant, and then apologized to the troops if his comments were clumsy and misunderstood. — Lanny (Pennsylvania)
"Sure, maybe the White House did know it was a botched joke about the president and the president's people, but I didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as the next guy or girl. I wonder what the families of those who have bled and died in Iraq would say to that? I really must be some kind of idiot for enlisting in the Marines, serving multiple tours in Iraq, and continuing the tradition that has gone on in my family for four generations. That tradition is serving my country." — Matt (San Diego, CA)
"No politician in their right mind would openly insult soldiers. He was obviously criticizing the fact that wars are generally fought by those from the lower classes. I don't like Kerry, but he is a veteran and his refusal to apologize is warranted." — M.P.
"I am in the U.S. Army serving in Iraq, and I am more disgusted with the commentators who are saying that all military members feel Senator Kerry referred to them as uneducated, than I am about what he actually said. DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME. I believe Senator Kerry misspoke, and the Republicans are simply trying to profit from that. I am on my second tour in Iraq, and I am intelligent enough to realize the 'stay the course' philosophy is in desperate need of an overhaul." — G.D.
"My son enlisted in the Army after high school because he always wanted to do that. He just returned from Afghanistan last week and will likely go to Iraq next summer. That young man has more character in his little finger than Mr. Kerry does in his entire body." — John (Houston, TX)
"Bush botches almost every other sentence out of his mouth. If anyone in this country should give someone a pass for misspeaking, it is George W. Bush and the Republican Party." — Jason
"I think Kerry's comments were just another one of his despicable attempts to marginalize President Bush's efforts in Iraq, with no thought for the wonderful ladies and gentlemen putting their lives on the line for democracy. He himself was a Yaley in the Vietnam War — what's he thinking?" — Bonnie
"Kerry is RIGHT ON TARGET. This administration should apologize to our troops and stop politicizing every remark made that is made in due respect about this failure in Iraq. G W Bush has set this country back decades and embarrassed us on a global level. He is a failure as a president and leader and history will not be kind. It is going to take extraordinary leadership in the next 20 years to dig us out of the failures of the past six years." — Judy
"Kerry just keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper. Regardless of what his intentions were, the statement was crude and distasteful. If he was just trying to insult the president's intelligence, then it was a tacky jab by a sore loser." — Brian
"The irony is that the military as a whole are much more educated than the people of Massachusetts who continually elect Senator Kerry. The proportion of high school and college graduates in the military is higher than that of his state. The disdain comes from the fact that the military votes decidedly in favor of conservative candidates. So the real questions are:Why don’t more liberals join the military? Why do so many conservatives join the military? The answer is very telling. But obviously I’m no Rhodes Scholar, I had to join the military and fight in Iraq! Hooah!" — MAJ Anonymous
"Whatever Kerry thinks of the Bush administration it gives him no right to degrade our troops. He said it and no amount of spin can change that. He speaks of taking responsibility so take some and apologize." — MS (Ohio)
"John Kerry was bashing the armed forces in Iraq. He, along with a majority of American voters, are fed up with the Bush administration policies in Iraq. His voice needs to be listened to. Grateful that he's willing to take a strong justified stand against and unjustified war." — Stephen (New York)
"Sen. Kerry's refusal to apologize after what was clearly an insult to all those that have, are or will serve in Iraq, makes it clear for all to see why he never was presidential material. The only 'botched joke' is one where Sen. Kerry is the punch line to a long running joke that is both humorless and in poor taste." — Jon (Colorado)
"It is obvious that he was referring to Bush. Why is everyone getting so upset? Facts speak for themselves. We should be questioning the negative responses to what might have been a bit of a blunder of words." — L.T.
"If Kerry's comments were the result of a joke gone wrong, he should apologize for it. What's so terrible about saying he's sorry, that he forgot a few lines and didn't intend it to come out the way it did. I'm sorry, but the more he refuses to apologize, the guiltier he looks." — Army Mom
"There is no way that Sen. Kerry's comment can be interpreted as a criticism or President Bush's policies on Iraq, and appending the comment to previous speeches does not change the meaning." — Brantz
"Kerry had just mentioned he had been in Texas the previous day, and it was it that context his comments were made. I knew immediately he was talking about the president, but he didn't mention the president by name and I knew his remarks would be taken out of context and become an issue during this critical phase of the campaign." — K
"I think that he should express exactly what he means instead of trying to put it in a joke format. But he should not apologize to no one. We all know that he didn't say anything against the troops; we all know he was directing it to the president and all of his people that constantly criticize him about his service — but none of them fought one day for their country." — Stef
"Wait a minute, you're saying somebody believes we're not stuck in Iraq?" — Steve (New York)
"Even if he were talking about Bush, the comments were poorly delivered. He has a hard time putting a sentence together." — Brian
"I watched the entire Kerry speech yesterday. Sen. Kerry was talking about President Bush!
The comment was the punchline of a joke. You can clearly hear the audience's laughter and jeers after the Senator delivered the line. The audience got it. The Senator was criticizing the decision-making Bush used to get us into the war and keep us there." — David (California)
"I think he is absolutely right. The Republican machine is looking for a story to use as they are in deep trouble everywhere. They need to be voted out NOW!" — Alexis (Los Angeles, CA)
"The Republicans try to jump on every little thing they can to try to divert attention away from their disasterious policy in Iraq. Never mind the thousands of Americans killed to turn Iraq into a the new terrorist breeding ground. Just focus on Kerry instead." — D.A.
"My son is an honor graduate from high school who decided to join the U.S. Army because he is a patriot. I am very offended by Senator Kerry's remarks and feel he should immediately apologize. He has lost credibility in my eyes." — Sharon
"Of course it has been hyped. What Kerry meant is, '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. And if you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq.' One word, 'us,' is the difference. It was a joke meant to imply that Bush didn't study and didn't do well in school. Regardless, it was clumsy on Kerry's part and is fair game. October Surprise?" — Matt (Centennial, CO)
I have a smile on my face when I tell a joke, even if I botch it. It is obvious Kerry wasn't joking, as he continues to sling petty verbal arrows toward President Bush. All politicians should wake up and realize the majority of American people have an aversion to personal attacks and tactics used by grade-schoolers. I can disagree with someone's position, while at the same time respecting his or her right to have it. Apparently, Kerry and others of his ilk on both sides of the aisle have issues in this area." — Quinn
"Kerry blew his slam on President Bush. Think about it. One week before the election, would you be talking about the education level and intelligence of the troops or the education level and intelligence of your opposing party's leader? Watch him on TV; he hesitates and tries to find his joke in his notes just as he is screwing up. What he probably meant to say is, if you don't get educated, and you don't make yourself smart then you could end up leading the country into a war. This sounds like typical liberal rhetoric and would have been much funnier to a young liberal crowd. As much as Kerry has shown in the past that he has little respect for our troops, don't think for a second that there was anything to gain from his delivered comments. Hate Kerry for his policies, not these comments." — Mike
"What good would an apology do? We all know how Kerry feels about the military. Any apology would be the equivalent of crocodile tears and only offered for political purposes after an outcry from the majority of Americans. John Kerry is an enemy of our troops and his academic, elitist, and know-it-all attitude is reflective of what's going on at our college campuses." — Bonny (Shelbyville, TX)
"Whether John Kerry's comments were directed at our troops or at our president, his remark says a lot about the mean spirit within the man. What comes out of the mouth, comes from the heart. We could use more statesmen and fewer politicians on both sides." — Fred (Cary, NC)
"I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He says his joke was supposed to have the punch line — "...just look at George Bush." But even so, the analogy he was making in his attempt to skewer the president was that uneducated, stupid people only have the military as a career option, and that's not only very wrong, but very condescending and shameful." — Susan (Baltimore, MD)
"Yes, Kerry should apologize to the fine men and women of our country serving to protect us (and Kerry's family). Regardless of the intent, he did offend! His arrogance by refusing to apologize to our troops will definitely help Republicans. If he had humbled himself and apologized, he could have bolstered his image and the Democratic Party. Now, he continues to degrade his image (and that of the Dems) by degrading not only our president, but also our troops!" — Kelli
"Kerry can rationalize all he wants about the meaning but the words remain the same. Even if he was correct in his view of the intention, he should apologize to the troops that his comments were misunderstood and were not intended for them. He should apologize for having inadvertently offended them. " — Gary
"To castigate Kerry for a remark that obviously wasn't meant to denigrate the troops is typical of the egregiously broad brush of intellectual dishonesty that highlights this political season. Kerry would never denigrate troops; he is neither that cold-hearted nor that stupid. Whereas George Washington supposedly couldn't lie about cutting down a cherry tree, George Bush is lying in cherry-picking from a cut-down aimed at him. Shame on Bush and his boys for making a stink bomb out of a foggy statement." — George (Charleston, SC)
"The word 'apology' has lost its true meaning in today's world. It has become an empty word not worth very much. Don't even bother asking Kerry to 'apologize.' The damage has been done and the hurt is still there." — JSM (Glendale, AZ)
"I am sickened by John Kerry's comments. I have a son in Iraq right now. He left college in February 2005 to join the active service. Kerry's displaced anger with President Bush or the GOP, does not give him the right to insult 140,000+ American patriots. I wish Senator Kerry well in his future political campaigns. I don't think he could win the election for dog catcher after this." — Debra (Ames, IA)
"If John Kerry has all the answers, why wasn't he elected president?" — Shawn
"Our son is in the military. What was said was a disgrace. I cannot believe what we heard. That's it — enough is enough. We truly hope that every family who have military personnel in the armed services shows their anger on November 7." — Greg and Debbie
"Sen. Kerry ought to join Al Gore on the Polar Ice Cap and just melt away. What a jerk." — Frank (South Carolina)
"Yesterday, Sen. Kerry again put his foot in his mouth. Today he put his other foot in his mouth. I know he has a BIG mouth, but he is running out of feet." — Betty (Brewster, NY)
"Kerry displayed his hatred for the military after Vietnam, and he continues do to so. I guess integrity, honesty and selflessness, the traits displayed daily by our military, are traits he tries to avoid." — George
"Let's get real. The man volunteered to enter combat in Vietnam. It is amazing to me that we are even talking about this. If you really want to respect the troops, let's give them real support: the resources that they need to actually fight the war. Lip service has never saved a single life. TALK ABOUT ISSUES!" — Douglas
"Kerry's arrogance will never let him get over losing to President Bush. Giving Kerry the benefit of the doubt though, he should have explained what he meant, and then apologized to the troops if his comments were clumsy and misunderstood. — Lanny (Pennsylvania)
"Sure, maybe the White House did know it was a botched joke about the president and the president's people, but I didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as the next guy or girl. I wonder what the families of those who have bled and died in Iraq would say to that? I really must be some kind of idiot for enlisting in the Marines, serving multiple tours in Iraq, and continuing the tradition that has gone on in my family for four generations. That tradition is serving my country." — Matt (San Diego, CA)
"No politician in their right mind would openly insult soldiers. He was obviously criticizing the fact that wars are generally fought by those from the lower classes. I don't like Kerry, but he is a veteran and his refusal to apologize is warranted." — M.P.
"I am in the U.S. Army serving in Iraq, and I am more disgusted with the commentators who are saying that all military members feel Senator Kerry referred to them as uneducated, than I am about what he actually said. DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME. I believe Senator Kerry misspoke, and the Republicans are simply trying to profit from that. I am on my second tour in Iraq, and I am intelligent enough to realize the 'stay the course' philosophy is in desperate need of an overhaul." — G.D.
"My son enlisted in the Army after high school because he always wanted to do that. He just returned from Afghanistan last week and will likely go to Iraq next summer. That young man has more character in his little finger than Mr. Kerry does in his entire body." — John (Houston, TX)
"Bush botches almost every other sentence out of his mouth. If anyone in this country should give someone a pass for misspeaking, it is George W. Bush and the Republican Party." — Jason
"I think Kerry's comments were just another one of his despicable attempts to marginalize President Bush's efforts in Iraq, with no thought for the wonderful ladies and gentlemen putting their lives on the line for democracy. He himself was a Yaley in the Vietnam War — what's he thinking?" — Bonnie
"Kerry is RIGHT ON TARGET. This administration should apologize to our troops and stop politicizing every remark made that is made in due respect about this failure in Iraq. G W Bush has set this country back decades and embarrassed us on a global level. He is a failure as a president and leader and history will not be kind. It is going to take extraordinary leadership in the next 20 years to dig us out of the failures of the past six years." — Judy
"Kerry just keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper. Regardless of what his intentions were, the statement was crude and distasteful. If he was just trying to insult the president's intelligence, then it was a tacky jab by a sore loser." — Brian
"The irony is that the military as a whole are much more educated than the people of Massachusetts who continually elect Senator Kerry. The proportion of high school and college graduates in the military is higher than that of his state. The disdain comes from the fact that the military votes decidedly in favor of conservative candidates. So the real questions are:Why don’t more liberals join the military? Why do so many conservatives join the military? The answer is very telling. But obviously I’m no Rhodes Scholar, I had to join the military and fight in Iraq! Hooah!" — MAJ Anonymous
"Whatever Kerry thinks of the Bush administration it gives him no right to degrade our troops. He said it and no amount of spin can change that. He speaks of taking responsibility so take some and apologize." — MS (Ohio)
"John Kerry was bashing the armed forces in Iraq. He, along with a majority of American voters, are fed up with the Bush administration policies in Iraq. His voice needs to be listened to. Grateful that he's willing to take a strong justified stand against and unjustified war." — Stephen (New York)
"Sen. Kerry's refusal to apologize after what was clearly an insult to all those that have, are or will serve in Iraq, makes it clear for all to see why he never was presidential material. The only 'botched joke' is one where Sen. Kerry is the punch line to a long running joke that is both humorless and in poor taste." — Jon (Colorado)
"It is obvious that he was referring to Bush. Why is everyone getting so upset? Facts speak for themselves. We should be questioning the negative responses to what might have been a bit of a blunder of words." — L.T.
"If Kerry's comments were the result of a joke gone wrong, he should apologize for it. What's so terrible about saying he's sorry, that he forgot a few lines and didn't intend it to come out the way it did. I'm sorry, but the more he refuses to apologize, the guiltier he looks." — Army Mom
"There is no way that Sen. Kerry's comment can be interpreted as a criticism or President Bush's policies on Iraq, and appending the comment to previous speeches does not change the meaning." — Brantz
"Kerry had just mentioned he had been in Texas the previous day, and it was it that context his comments were made. I knew immediately he was talking about the president, but he didn't mention the president by name and I knew his remarks would be taken out of context and become an issue during this critical phase of the campaign." — K
"I think that he should express exactly what he means instead of trying to put it in a joke format. But he should not apologize to no one. We all know that he didn't say anything against the troops; we all know he was directing it to the president and all of his people that constantly criticize him about his service — but none of them fought one day for their country." — Stef
"Wait a minute, you're saying somebody believes we're not stuck in Iraq?" — Steve (New York)
"Even if he were talking about Bush, the comments were poorly delivered. He has a hard time putting a sentence together." — Brian
"I watched the entire Kerry speech yesterday. Sen. Kerry was talking about President Bush!
The comment was the punchline of a joke. You can clearly hear the audience's laughter and jeers after the Senator delivered the line. The audience got it. The Senator was criticizing the decision-making Bush used to get us into the war and keep us there." — David (California)
"I think he is absolutely right. The Republican machine is looking for a story to use as they are in deep trouble everywhere. They need to be voted out NOW!" — Alexis (Los Angeles, CA)
"The Republicans try to jump on every little thing they can to try to divert attention away from their disasterious policy in Iraq. Never mind the thousands of Americans killed to turn Iraq into a the new terrorist breeding ground. Just focus on Kerry instead." — D.A.
"My son is an honor graduate from high school who decided to join the U.S. Army because he is a patriot. I am very offended by Senator Kerry's remarks and feel he should immediately apologize. He has lost credibility in my eyes." — Sharon
"Of course it has been hyped. What Kerry meant is, '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. And if you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq.' One word, 'us,' is the difference. It was a joke meant to imply that Bush didn't study and didn't do well in school. Regardless, it was clumsy on Kerry's part and is fair game. October Surprise?" — Matt (Centennial, CO)
America...the greatest Country in the world.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
He was the front runner for the dems just 2 years ago...sure his opinion matters.
He is in the senate...who cares if someone is running?
Still, I don't care what he said because I believe it was taken out of context really. Kerry is a jerk, but he isn't that stupid. He's just guilty of being unfunny.
JOHN KERRY IS NOT ANTI-TROOPS
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
John Kerry hates white people.
Video of Don Imus telling Kerry to stop talking
I swore to myself I wouldn't post in the Kerry threads again, but I'm a gluten for punishment. I'm not even going to touch wether Kerry should apologize or wether he was right or wrong. We all have our different opinion on that. I was watching the news last night and saw President Bush demanding that Kerry apologize to the troops in Iraq. Now I can't stand either of these two men and would dance in the street the day they are both out of politics, but if anyone in this country should be apologizing to the troops in this country it is the leaders of this administration. Forget about wether we should or shouldn't have invaded Iraq. I'm just focusing on the management of this war. We sent our men and women over there ill equiped. Some had no body armor, some had to scavenge through dumps to find metal plating to use as make shift armor on thier humvees. The response these men and women get by the head of the military is "You go to war with what you have." Men like Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld should be first in line to apologize to our troops and their families and really shouldn't be pointing fingers at anyone when the issue of disrespecting troops surfaces. While John Kerry's words where stupid and yes people may have been offended by them, an apology should be in order. His where just words while this administration has disrespected our troops with actions. Actions that but them in harms way. Actions that sent them to a war zone short of the life saving equipment that they depend on.
John Kerry thinks every puppy should be turned into glue...
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
Voting to go to war and then voting to not arm the troops= John Kerry
What about Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld? We have already established that Kerry is a fucking shmuck, but I find it so hypocritical of anyone from this administration pointing fingers when it comes to disrespecting the troops.
ps. You also failed to mention that once that military apropriations bill was presented a second time Kerry did vote yes. He originally voted no because of some line items he disagreed with. Way to only paint half the picture.
"We've never been about Stay the Course, George"- W
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
LOL ! The general public taken from the Fox news site !! I think I'll go see what the general public thinks about illegal aliens on the Minutemen website. LOL @ Miller. Wow.
Kerry obviously works for the GOP, that much should be clear by now.
Did you read through it...some said that it was no big deal. You just ASSumed though huh?
Actualyl, while I don't care, the public's opinion on the matter is very important. So, in actuality, Miller's thread about it is the most important thread about it. Just look at his fellow Dems running away from him. He will no longer be campaigning with anyone during this election, canceling speaking engagements, etc.
So I think it's Much Ado...but I though tthat abotu Trent Lott's comment's about his friend in the Senate. Of course, people here bashed him...wonder if they have rethought that now?
Originally Posted by sonicreducer
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles...06Rumsfeld.htm
that is the second time rummy has slipped up and said that flight 93 was shot down. him and george sure do need to get their facts straight because im starting to believe they are telling the truth.
Quote:
Originally Posyed by Dino283
People make mistakes. Get over it.
Advice to Dino regarding Senator Kerry, take your own advice
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
http://www.iava.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2128&Itemid=67
NEW YORK - The nation's first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans organization, IAVA (iava.org), released the following statement today from Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff in response to Senator John Kerry's remarks Monday.
"Senator Kerry should issue an immediate apology for his misguided and inappropriate remarks," said Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq War veteran, and the founder and executive director of IAVA. "His comments, and his refusal to offer an apology, have angered many troops and veterans, and have become an unfortunate distraction from the real issues that face this nation."
"Let's not forget that while our politicians are busy fighting each other, our troops are busy fighting the enemy. Right now there is a US Soldier missing somewhere in Iraq, but our leadership in Washington and the American media is consumed by this latest example of politics at its worst," Rieckhoff said. "It's time to get back to the issues that matter."
Doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement for the way either side has handled this.
Makes sense to me.
Question...why'd you bold what you did...you almost put the whole thing in bold so it wasn't only the highlights.
I started off bolding what I thought was important, and just got carried away
Actually i did read it so ASSume yourself. I was just pointing out the source just like many on here point out when it is a liberal source. It is a little strange you attack me and then say you dont care about the public's opinion. Perhaps you should focus on that.
Attack you...nope. I just usually emphasize the ASS in assume.
Anyhow, they are quotes from teh public, fox can't spin that.
the GOP has you hook line and sinker. you repeat every talking point they have. constantly regurgitating rush and hannity like a broken record
they cant hand pick the quotes? come on dude. i bet they wouldn't share my quote on the subject which would be who fucking cares, lets talk about real issues instead of watching the GOp grasp for straws trying to hold onto power
Sure they pick the quotes..but they are said by people. That's all I am saying...
I'm not sure why I am still posting on this topic though, as I have said before, I don;t care about personally.
What did you think of Trent Lott being attacked for his comments about his friend at his friend's birthday party?
It's said that this happens, and it happens over and over again.
didnt see the trent lott thing, and i have never even heard of it. must be that "liberal media"
Well Trent had to give up being the majority leader of the Senate...so it was pretty big.
From Trent Lott's Congresspedia page.
Strom Thurmond and resignation
Tremendous political controversy ensued following remarks Lott made on December 5, 2002 at Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Thurmond ran for President of the United States in 1948 on the Dixiecrat (or States' Rights) ticket, whose primary campaign issue was the perpetuation of racial segregation in the United States. Lott said:
"I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."
Since Thurmond had explicitly supported racial segregation in the presidential campaign to which Lott referred, this statement was widely interpreted to mean that Lott also supported racial segregation, or at best, that Lott did not feel Thurmond's past support for white supremacy was sufficient reason not to vote for him.
At first, the comment, broadcast on C-SPAN, was largely ignored by the mainstream media but was widely discussed on political blogs such as Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo, which also uncovered Lott's history of actively supporting segregation during college and making similar statements at various points throughout his career. Five days later the story was picked up by all the major news networks, and repeated and discussed extensively.
Lott's attempts to explain the remark grew from a mild dismissal as an off-the-cuff remark supporting Thurmond's national defense platform to an explicit repudiation of his racist past and assertions of support for affirmative action in a BET interview, by which time his political fate was sealed.
Once reported in newspapers and television, calls for his resignation as majority leader from both ends of the political spectrum grew. Some Democrats and Republicans considered the remark unconscionable, or as Al Gore put it, "fundamentally racist," and many conservative groups and media were quick to distance themselves from Lott and criticize the incident. Centrist Democrats and Republicans at first defended Lott, insisting the remarks had been blown out of proportion. Some pointed to Sen. Robert Byrd's past as recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan to suggest a double standard, as Byrd was not forced from his leadership position in the Democratic party. Others saw Lott's remarks as simply an attempt to compliment the ancient Thurmond, devoid of any real meaning beyond the context.
After President Bush voiced his own harsh criticism of Lott's remarks ("Any suggestion that the segregated past was acceptable or positive is offensive, and it is wrong. Recent comments by Senator Lott do not reflect the spirit of our country. He has apologized and rightly so. Every day that our nation was segregated was a day our nation was unfaithful to our founding ideals"), Lott's position became untenable. It was obvious he would be unable to remain as Senate Republican Leader, although the official White House line was that Lott did not need to resign.
Lott later agreed with the President's speech. In the aforementioned BET interview, he said, "Segregation is a stain on our nation’s soul... Segregation and racism are immoral."
Under pressure from Senate colleagues, and having lost the support of the White House, Lott resigned as Senate Republican Leader on December 20, 2002. Bill Frist of Tennessee was later elected to the leadership position.
Lott was chosen by his colleagues as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee after the controversy. Some of his critics for the original remarks have noted that this position still carries a great deal of power, and that conservatives and Republicans were mainly using the whole controversy to get rid of a leader they regarded as weak, particularly in the conduct of the Clinton impeachment trial.
- 8/28/98
- 9/2/00
- 4/28/03, 5/3/03, 7/3/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 7/9/03, 7/11/03, 7/12/03, 7/14/03
- 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 10/1/04, 10/2/04
- 9/11/05, 9/12/05, 9/13/05, 9/30/05, 10/1/05, 10/3/05
- 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 5/30/06, 6/1/06, 6/3/06, 6/23/06, 7/22/06, 7/23/06, 12/2/06, 12/9/06
- 8/2/07, 8/5/07
- 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/28/08, 6/30/08, 7/1/08
- 8/23/09, 8/24/09, 9/21/09, 9/22/09, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09
- 5/15/10, 5/17/10, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 10/23/10, 10/24/10
- 9/11/11, 9/12/11
- 10/18/13, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 11/30/13, 12/4/13
Fox News does not speak for me, so as a member of the general public, my thoughts go here -
--If Bush hadn't lied, there would be no American soldiers in Iraq for Kerry or another other politician to comment on.
--How many American soldiers have been killed or wounded because Rumsfeld can't keep track of the weapons being shipped to Iraq and who's hands they are falling into.
--How many American soldiers had to die or be wounded because they were not provided sufficient body armor, while Haliburton workers were provided both body armor and armored vehicles.
--How many American soldiers have been killed or wounded while being used as Haliburton's private escort service back and forth from the oil fields. Have you seen a structure, a road, something, anything that Haliburton has rebuilt? Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, not one of them has said, here, see what Haliburton has done. Yet they all claim we are rebuilding Iraq.
--Why has our national debt increase 5 trillion dollars under this Administration?
--Why is all about support the troops, our troops are heroes, etc. etc. yet when a soldier doesn't agree with the Iraq mess. He volunteered, he needs to shut and just do his "job".
When it comes to the troops, there are way too many "BIG" things that need to be answered for, accounted for, and yes, apologized for. It's a known fact that recruiters target poor areas, and what they now consider patriotic areas, farmlands, the south. Judges still give offenders an option of joining the service or going to jail.
The spin that goes on from both sides as to what is said be it JK or Hannity or Limbaugh etc and what the other hears or gathers from the comments is pretty lame to begin with. It happens all the time and every single day.
It's really kind of funny how the whole political process works.