[Ford Prefect]

Looks like he apologized;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061101/ts_nm/usa_elections_kerry_dc

Wow, could his vagina be any more prominent? The fact that he has to apologize for this fills me with such utter contempt for the American public-- I wish I could just slap him in the face and say, "No! BAD politician! No biscuit!"

[Nix]

It's about time republicans take offense to what this cowardly, pitiful excuse for a senator says. actually he's a war hero who's actually served in combat and taken lives to protect American's...... this is fact and undisputable yet you just made a few of the most ill concieved comments I've seen in the thread.

it's really quite impressive that you would make such a comment and then have any hope of credibility in regards to your comments.

I'll be honest I don't really think much of John Kerry and I'm not sure he would be any different from Bush other than more polished but I certainly wouldn't be silly enough to make up lies to promote hostility towards him.

you may not like Kerry, I don't personally think much of him but given he's a war hero, he served his country in wartime, he killed for his country and was awarded numerous medals for his achievement your comments seem just a little more than absolutely worthless.

I would have thought that if someone was a "war hero" that they'd actually support thier own country and military, not protest it like he has in the past, and as his stint as a senator.  Forgive me for being old-fashioned and *gasp* patriotic to my own country, but I still feel Kerry is unfit to represent, run, or have anything to do with the US Military. 

BTW, wasn't it Bush that had said "bomb Pakistan back into the stone-age"?  Yeh, sure, it might mean something different, but the REACTION was the exact same over such a controversial quote. 
Maybe everyone's mother's advice is right.  Think before you open your mouth, Kerry. 

Oh yeah, and in regards to how the joke insult was "supposed" to be put, and his apology...   : is all I can say.

[aldo_14]

It's about time republicans take offense to what this cowardly, pitiful excuse for a senator says. actually he's a war hero who's actually served in combat and taken lives to protect American's...... this is fact and undisputable yet you just made a few of the most ill concieved comments I've seen in the thread.

it's really quite impressive that you would make such a comment and then have any hope of credibility in regards to your comments.

I'll be honest I don't really think much of John Kerry and I'm not sure he would be any different from Bush other than more polished but I certainly wouldn't be silly enough to make up lies to promote hostility towards him.

you may not like Kerry, I don't personally think much of him but given he's a war hero, he served his country in wartime, he killed for his country and was awarded numerous medals for his achievement your comments seem just a little more than absolutely worthless.

I would have thought that if someone was a "war hero" that they'd actually support thier own country and military, not protest it like he has in the past, and as his stint as a senator.  Forgive me for being old-fashioned and *gasp* patriotic to my own country, but I still feel Kerry is unfit to represent, run, or have anything to do with the US Military. 

BTW, wasn't it Bush that had said "bomb Pakistan back into the stone-age"?  Yeh, sure, it might mean something different, but the REACTION was the exact same over such a controversial quote.

hold on a second, surely threatening to a world leader - of a nuclear power - to declare war if they fail to co-operate is just a mite more serious than this........

[Kosh]

hold on a second, surely threatening to a world leader - of a nuclear power - to declare war if they fail to co-operate is just a mite more serious than this........

It would be if the president was a democrat.

[Bobboau]

this is were your inexperience in American politics shows

anyway, All I have to say about this situation is;

For ****s Sake! all you had to do was not open your mouth! WHY couldn't you have just not opened your gotamed mouth!?!?

[IceFire]

I wonder - could Kerry have been using self-deprecating humour with a touch of irony?  Or is that too subtle for election time?

Its too complex a concept for most of the political demographic.

[Bobboau]

and in addition to that, too tricky that you'd get misinterpreted.

[vyper]

I think the population being too thick to understand you, and the concept being "too tricky" and therefore liable for misinterpretation is the same thing.

[Mefustae]

I would have thought that if someone was a "war hero" that they'd actually support thier own country and military, not protest it like he has in the past, and as his stint as a senator.  Forgive me for being old-fashioned and *gasp* patriotic to my own country, but I still feel Kerry is unfit to represent, run, or have anything to do with the US Military.

Oh, get your head out of your arse and lighten up. I'm betting your the type of person who would have supported the shooting of anti-war protesters during the Vietnam War, am I right?

Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, when someone says something against the war, they're actually talking about the war, and not calling all US enlisted personnel murderous, genocidal baby-killers? Maybe?

Oh yeah, and in regards to how the joke insult was "supposed" to be put, and his apology...   : is all I can say.

*Sigh* I thought we were all past this moronic delusion that what he said was an "insult".

[Nuclear1]

For the most part, saying being uneducated will mean you will go to Iraq is untrue. Yes your choices are limited but not so limited that it is either get an education or get blown up by an IED.

It REALLY pisses me off because my father's in the military, too. ****ing asshole needs to learn when to keep his goddamn mouth shut. Dumbass.

*Reads Cobra's post*

Hmm, maybe Kerry is right
Try to formulate your posts with more...thought and less curse words.

So?  It's exactly the first thing I thought after I heard it.  Excuse him for being passionate when someone makes an insult directed at someone he cares about and obviously respects.  The Army and other brances have low recruitment standards, yes, but that's no excuse for saying that everyone who joins the military is a high-school or college dropout who has no better hope for their future than to serve in the military and go to Iraq.  Completely tasteless joke on Kerry's part.

I would have thought that if someone was a "war hero" that they'd actually support thier own country and military, not protest it like he has in the past, and as his stint as a senator.  Forgive me for being old-fashioned and *gasp* patriotic to my own country, but I still feel Kerry is unfit to represent, run, or have anything to do with the US Military.

Oh, get your head out of your arse and lighten up. I'm betting your the type of person who would have supported the shooting of anti-war protesters during the Vietnam War, am I right?

Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, when someone says something against the war, they're actually talking about the war, and not calling all US enlisted personnel murderous, genocidal baby-killers? Maybe?

Hell, I would've supported kicking some of those protestors' asses for the way many of them treated the troops coming home.  I don't care if they support the war or not, but the second someone attacks the troops as John Kerry did, it's anyone's right  to be furious.  Whether it was 'worded badly' or not, it was still insulting.  Despite the apology, I've yet to hear an explanation from Kerry as to what the joke was actually aimed at; until then, I reserve the right to view him with contempt.

[Mefustae]

And you are fully entitled to that right... just as long as you don't come off sounding like a complete prat like Nix or Cobra.

[Nix]

Lighten up?  If I recall, YOU'VE made blanket statements of mass murder and Bush or the US Military. Then you friggin railroad me and completely IGNORE the fact that the statement was made to a group of college students.  Then you have to protray me and others with similar opinions as idiots, promoting your own elitist anti-american views.  Why the hell would I want to lighten up over an insult to the institution that keeps this country secure?  Why would I lighten up when YOU think that I don't have the right to speak! 

People aren't alowed to get agitated and react to something that a democrat says?  It's only OK to bash Bush?  What a double-standard.

[Ford Prefect]

Nix wins. His reasoning is unstoppable.

[Mefustae]

If you have a look; I never even wrote the word "idiot" in my post. I never said you and those with your mindset couldn't speak. I never "railroaded" anyone. I certainly never even mentioned Democrats or Republicans. I won't even mention your claim of 'elitist, anti-American views'. Heck, I only berated you over the rather plain fact that you were acting all 'fanboyish' over the US Military, taking anything other than blind praise as a blatant attack to be considered treason.

Frankly, I feel that you should just lighten up and not take everything so seriously. You'll live longer.

[Bobboau]

interesting fact:
Even Bill O'Reilly thinks this was, at worst, a poorly thought out and/or worded joke.

[Kosh]

Hell, I would've supported kicking some of those protestors' asses for the way many of them treated the troops coming home.  I don't care if they support the war or not, but the second someone attacks the troops as John Kerry did, it's anyone's right  to be furious.  Whether it was 'worded badly' or not, it was still insulting.  Despite the apology, I've yet to hear an explanation from Kerry as to what the joke was actually aimed at; until then, I reserve the right to view him with contempt.

There were several documented atrocities during that war committed by "the troops", don't forget that.

[aldo_14]

Lighten up?  If I recall, YOU'VE made blanket statements of mass murder and Bush or the US Military. Then you friggin railroad me and completely IGNORE the fact that the statement was made to a group of college students.  Then you have to protray me and others with similar opinions as idiots, promoting your own elitist anti-american views.  Why the hell would I want to lighten up over an insult to the institution that keeps this country secure?  Why would I lighten up when YOU think that I don't have the right to speak! 

People aren't alowed to get agitated and react to something that a democrat says?  It's only OK to bash Bush?  What a double-standard.

I'm tempted to invoke a 'use of capitals makes you lose' type rule, sometimes.....



Anyways, anyone with an iota of common sense knows this was a joke gone badly wrong.  The only 2 lessons we need to draw from this is a) Kerry ****ed up big time and needs memory/reading/common sense lessons and b) politicians should never, ever, ever do jokes.  It's a sad indictment of US politics that something like this is immediately used as a pretext for attack, rather than being accepted - and slagged - as the mistake it is and then going back to things like, ooh, politics.

(also, I'm not sure how perfectly valid criticism of Pres. Bush is 'anti american elistism'; I'd also note that the mangled soundbites of a senatorial candidate means just about **** all to the rest of the world compated to the mangled policies of the person in charge of the worlds only superpower)

Hell, I would've supported kicking some of those protestors' asses for the way many of them treated the troops coming home.  I don't care if they support the war or not, but the second someone attacks the troops as John Kerry did, it's anyone's right  to be furious.  Whether it was 'worded badly' or not, it was still insulting.  Despite the apology, I've yet to hear an explanation from Kerry as to what the joke was actually aimed at; until then, I reserve the right to view him with contempt.

Um, he did - or his office (after all, how would a politician admit to a mistake) - make a statement about it.  Been in the news.  Apparently he missed a 'Just ask President Bush.' bit at the end.

[redmenace]

b) politicians should never, ever, ever do jokes.

All I have left to say about this topic is that, is that it depends on the situtation. A clever joke won Ronald Reagan the election in 1980.

[aldo_14]

b) politicians should never, ever, ever do jokes.

All I have left to say about this topic is that, is that it depends on the situtation. A clever joke won Ronald Reagan the election in 1980.

Which only strengthens my point.......

[redmenace]

IIRC, it was in response to an attack as opposed to making unfunny jokes at someone else's expense. But yes jokes really have no place in civil discourse. [Coincidentally, neither does mean spiritedness or asshattery.] It fundamentally takes away and distracts from the question being asked.