Blue Crab Boulevard

The Media Has Decided To Torpedo Kerry

After a completely unnecessary, and frankly stupid, delay, Kerry finally sort-of apologized for his remarks that insulted American troops. Whether he actually meant to make the insult was left up in the air, he says botched joke, others say it doesn't sound botched. Either way, the story should have died at that point. The media had a way to stop talking about it. But they didn't.

The Associated Press just published a story today that casts serious doubt on Kerry's assertion that he made a mistake. And, surprise, it is Kerry's own words coming back to haunt him.

WASHINGTON – During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes."

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, made the observations in answers to a 1972 candidate questionnaire from a Massachusetts peace group.

After Kerry caused a firestorm this week with what he termed a botched campaign joke that Republicans said insulted current soldiers, The Associated Press was alerted to the historical comments by a former law enforcement official who monitored 1970s anti-war activities

Kerry apologized Wednesday for the 2006 campaign trail gaffe that some took as suggesting U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq were undereducated. He contended the remark was aimed at Bush, not the soldiers.

In 1972, as he ran for the House, he was less apologetic in his comments about the merits of a volunteer army. He declared in the questionnaire that he opposed the draft but considered a volunteer army "a greater anathema."

"I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown," Kerry wrote. "We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply 'doing its job.'

"Equally as important, a volunteer army with our present constitutional crisis takes accountability away from the president and put the people further from control over military activities," he wrote.

Kerry's spokesman, David Wade, said Wednesday the historical document needed to be viewed in the era in which it was written but that it nonetheless raised a "bedrock question in a time of war when sacrifice should be shared by all Americans."

The media just decided that John Kerry's presidential ambitions are over with. If he tries another run, the media will destroy him. I guess he just got that horse head that people joked about.

Politics | Gaius November 2, 2006

By Quilly Mammoth, November 2, 2006 @ 7:39 am

Horse head indeed. I guess the Clintons decided that this was the issue that would put that competitor to rest. I’ve already noticed the buzz that Obama would make a great Veep. Wonder what the Clintons have on the rest of the contenders?
By PoliticalCritic, November 2, 2006 @ 7:50 am

The media is definitely to blame in this. Before the 2004 election, rather than talk about real issues, they harped on Swift boats, National Guard service records, and lesbian daughters of candidates. Now they’re doing it again with Kerry.
By Puggsthegrey, November 2, 2006 @ 8:30 am

Kerry made it the issue himself though, he said it, then defended it, then said no no, you’re just to stuupid to understand what I meant, then a grudging halfassed apology finally. If he had just said right after ooops, mis spoke, my bad,.. it would have been a non story.

I disagree that it isn’t a real issue.

When you have a party demanding the reigns in the war on terror, it matters if their elites have a decided bias against the troops. I believe they do, because I’ve met a few democrats over the years who definitely not only have contempt for the soldiers, but want to nearly abolish the US military.

They exist, wether they have influence is a different issue.

My wife is a democrat, if a conservative one, having voted for Bush against Kerry here in Ohio. She didn’t like Gore either.

workin class democrats, not the college stuck up ones, have their kids in the military, Republicans do as well, so if you seem to think as Kerry and asorted buffoons do that our military is populated by morons and loosers, you can kiss off their votes forever. My wife has three cousins, who all, re-enlisted to go back to Iraq a second time. Democrats and they believe we are doing the right thing. People may take issue with this or that policy, but to say these young people are somehow damaged goods,..

we want to know that, and will make someone pay for that view.
By Gaius, November 2, 2006 @ 8:35 am

I think Kerry did damage, Puggs. I think that is why he was pressured into giving the apology. But this was meant to be (I think) a way to get the media a way to stop talking about it. That didn’t work out, though. That is very likely tied to the Clinton’s desire to put Kerry away early.
By Doug Keachie, November 2, 2006 @ 10:17 am

I see.

The media, owned by the right wing folks, is letting the left wing control it, as long as they get Hillary in 2008 ?

Kerry was tired, mispoke and pays the same screaming price Howard Dean did.

The Fifth Estate Lives !
By Quilly Mammoth, November 3, 2006 @ 11:26 am

The media, owned by the right wing folks, is letting the left wing control it, as long as they get Hillary in 2008 ?

SEE! I always knew that Pinchy and al-AP were secret members of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.