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Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Study hard, avoid Iraq
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the eve of the Democrats’ anticipated celebration at having taken over the U.S. House of Representatives, their former nominee for President of the United States delivered a body-slam to queued-up celebrants. Speaking Monday to students at Pasadena City College in California, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, admonished them to keep their nose to the grindstone. “If you study hard and 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.”
President George W. Bush, campaigning in Middle Georgia for former Congressman Mac Collins, who is trying for a comeback against U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Macon), called Kerry’s remarks “insulting” and “shameful.” Said the President to boos for Kerry and cheers for the sentiment: “The members of the United States military are plenty smart and they are plenty brave and the senator from Massachusetts owes them an apology.”
The reference, Kerry said later in declining to render an apology, was meant to apply to Bush, not the troops. “I’m sick and tired of a bunch of despicable Republicans who will not debate real policy, who won’t take responsibility for their own mistakes, standing up and trying to make other people the butt of those mistakes,” said Kerry.. “It disgusts me that a bunch of these Republican hacks who’ve never worn the uniform of our country are willing to lie about those who did.”
Among those who called on Kerry to apologize was U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who did wear the uniform. “The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq is an insult to every soldier serving in combat today.”
McCain is right. There is in the mind of many liberal elitists a belief, I do believe, that slips out, a belief that those who join the military are either driven there by an inability to find a better-paying job or because they are closet reactionaries who otherwise would be building encampments in the hills of Idaho, or are over-zealous patriots acting out their frustrations.
Maybe Kerry was clumsily phrasing his anti-Bush humor, attempting to say in elitist arrogrance that had President Bush been smarter and studied harder, the U.S. wouldn’t now be “stuck in Iraq, ” ha, ha. If that was his intention — and who knows? — he blew it, slandering those who wear and who wore the uniform. The Republicans had their Foley moment leading up to next Tuesday’s election. Now the Democrats have their Kerry moment, which will go on longer than warranted because his arrogance and tin ear won’t allow him to apologize.
