Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Kerry draws White House criticism for Iraq comment

Sen. John Kerry is taking heat from the White House and conservatives for suggesting at a California campaign stop Monday that if you don't do well in school, you could end up in Iraq.

According to the Pasadena Star-News: "Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he said to a mixture of laughter and gasps.''

See a video clip here.

White House Spokesman Tony Snow called on Kerry to apologize.

Said Snow: "What Senator Kerry ought to do first is apologize to the troops. The clear implication here is, if you flunk out, if you don't study hard, if you don't do your homework, if you don't make an effort to be smart, and you don't do well you, quote, Get stuck in Iraq.''

Conservative pundit William Bennnett also weighed in on CNN: "This arrogance of the upper classes ... of the privileged classes, toward the military when this is in fact an army that is representative of American society ...''

"The last thing you do is insult our soldiers and their capabilities. John Kerry is going to regret this," Bennett added.

Tuesday, Kerry's office issued a statement aimed at White House spokesman Tony Snow and other conservative critics:

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. 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.

"I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

"The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.
Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”

Posted by David Dahl, Regional Editor at 11:52 AM

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