Senator Kerry: disgusting

Kerry: Snow, McCain 'Nut-Jobs' for Criticizing Military Education Comments
By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
October 31, 2006


(CNSNews.com) - Raising eyebrows and infuriating conservatives, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in a speech Monday encouraged young people to get an education or "get stuck in Iraq."

"Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well," Kerry told students in Pasadena while campaigning for California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides.

"If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he added.

The comment set off a firestorm on conservative websites, with some commentators accusing him of "elitism," and of "smearing" the troops by implying that they are uneducated.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) called on Kerry to apologize Tuesday.

In a statement posted on his political action committee's website, McCain said Kerry "owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education."

"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," McCain said.

In a statement released Tuesday, Kerry accused White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and "assorted right-wing nut-jobs" of distorting the comments "to divert attention from their disastrous record."

"If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy," Kerry said. "I'm sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did."

Snow told a press briefing Tuesday Kerry "not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this."

"This is an absolute insult, and I'm a little astonished that he didn't figure it out already." Snow added.

The national commander of the American Legion also called on Kerry to apologize for his comments.

"As a constituent of Senator Kerry's I am disappointed. As leader of The American Legion, I am outraged," said National Commander Paul A. Morin in a statement."

A generation ago, Sen. Kerry slandered his comrades in Vietnam by saying that they were rapists and murderers. It wasn't true then and his warped view of today's heroes isn't true now," said Morin.

"While The American Legion shares the senator's appreciation for education, the troops in Iraq represent the most sophisticated, technologically superior military that the world has ever seen," Morin said. "I think there is a thing or two that they could teach most college professors and campus elitists about the way the world works.

Morin also called on Kerry and "his comrades in Congress" to approve the GI bill "so all of today's military members - reserves and guard included - can achieve the educational aspirations that the senator so highly values."

"The senator's false and outrageous attack was over-the-top and he should apologize now," Morin concluded.


I am going to do my best, at least initially, to put aside the "liberal" and "conservative" comments. Really.

Because this goes beyond politics. Well, at least for a second anyway. :)

I sincerely find this to be one of the most bone-headed remarks of this century. You know, people criticize the President for some of the stupid things he's said over the past few years and well--admittedly, he has indeed said and done some assinine things in his tenure as Commander-in-Chief. This goes without saying.

But despite Bush happily chatting with journalists about "The Google," or choking on pretzels, or being distracted by hanging lighting in the middle of a press conference as a cat would be distracted by a ball of yarn, this Kerry comment takes the cake in the "stupid" column.

First off, I will say this: I half-jokingly make fun of my employer, the Air Force, all the time. I'm pissed that I'm going to be jobless because of moronic senior leadership who make dickheaded decisions and waste money left and right.

But I will also say the following: I am ashamed to have not served in the United States military.

Yeah, you read correctly. I'm ASHAMED of myself.

I wish I could have the same level of respect for myself as I do for those who have served in our military. But I don't.

You know why?

Because my lazy ass went to college instead. I drank beer, ate pizza, guzzled vodka, did the occasional term paper (all while doing nothing but bitching about it the entire time), discussed philisophical jargon, drank more beer, passed out on random people's couches, and oh yeah--drank beer.

And then, even after I graduated college, I didn't enter the military as an officer. No way. Instead, I sat on my ass for a couple of months and finally landed a job as a government contractor doing cushy writing and editing work.

When 9/11 happened, I thought about it. I thought about fighting for my country. But did I do it? Nope.

And a lot of people out there thought about it and didn't do it for their own personal reasons. And believe me--I ain't judgin' anyone for not joining the military. That's your business 110%. That's not what this is about.

But do you know ultimately why I didn't choose to join our Armed Forces?

Because I'm a lazy bastard. That, and perhaps I'm more cowardly than I care to admit. Because I chose to accept that somewhat cushy desk job rather than be willing to get my sorry ass over to Iraq or Afganistan if I were to be ordered to do so.

The people that are in our military deserve a thousand times more respect than they get. But instead, they have some "senator" (and I use that term loosely) making retarded comments that seem to incinuate that fighting for our wonderful country in the Armed Forces is some sort of BAD THING. As if being sent over to Iraq is punishment for being "stupid in school" or not going out and getting a college education.

First off, if I had the nads to join the military, I'd be privileged to fight for this country, despite some of the absolute fucktards that live in it. It's no punishment; it's an honor.

Our servicemen and women, even if they never set foot on foreign soil or shoot a gun at some raving lunatic to save their own lives or the lives of their comrades, sacrifice so much every day to protect us. They are PREPARED to do things we couldn't even comprehend.

And goddamn it, most of the servicemen and women I've encountered are some of the smartest folks I've ever met. I work with engineers, program managers, doctors, nurses, information officers, information technology managers, public affairs officers, lawyers, battle strategists, pilots and acquisition managers at this Base, and they all have a level of knowledge I couldn't gain a fraction of if I did nothing but study for the rest of my days.

These servicemen and women were called, in one way or another, to defend their country in any way they knew how--not because of any sort of deficiency in their education.

Senator Kerry: you may have fought in Vietnam, but you've forgotten, in your elitist senatorial mind, what these folks have sacrificed for you as of recent. If you truly remembered your military days, you wouldn't make such a mentally challenged remark because you would recall all that you sacrificed during those days in Nam.

And then, to make yourself look like less of the shithead that you actually are, you blame the President for the war. Not that Georgie doesn't have his faults, but it disgusts me that you actually made the attempt to sidetrack your own bullshit comment by blaming the people who actually had the balls to call you on how much bullshit it actually was.

Be a fucking MAN. Apologize to the people you, in essence, called stupid, who are actually the bravest, smartest people we will ever know. And then, pull your head out of your ass and thank them for the sacrifices they've made.

I've never had a whole lot of respect for you, Senator Kerry. But now, you just plain disgust me.