Senator John Kerry told college students to study hard so that they would not "get stuck in Iraq." Any questions why Kerry's name is prefaced by Senator and not President? I served in the Marines, as a reservist, for eight years. I'm not offended, just amazed that someone who so desperately wants to be commander in chief is so ignorant of those he seeks to command. I served with Marines who, in the 9-5 world, worked as engineers, CEO's of multi-million-dollar companies, government prosecutors, and intelligence officers. I was never at a loss for good conversation in the Marines. In addition to some of the best people, the Marines offered some of the smartest and most knowledgeable people I've met in life.

I joined the Marine Corps because America is a great country that deserved my service, not because I thought my prospects in life were dim. I was a few credits shy of graduation in college, but I wanted something more out of life than studies and a subsequent office job. I also thought the Marine Corps could fill the void left by the absence of sports since I got to college. I didn't join for the GI Bill, and I never benefitted from it. In fact, joining hurt my bottom line as it removed me from my fairly lucrative summer employment at Fenway Park. So many of the great men I had observed had once been Marines, so, in a calculated move at self-betterment, I walked into a recruiter's office and told him to sign me up. These were among the reasons I joined. Senator Kerry's inference of the armed forces being a receptacle for those who have run out of options fits neither my experience, nor my observations of fellow Marines.

This is not a conscript force, in which those without wealth, connections, or education are forced to join. This is a volunteer force, in which men and women enlist because they, as John Kerry did nearly four decades ago, chose to. In other words, the armed forces is not made up, as the senator's words implied, of life's losers. An unapologetic John Kerry holds that his "joke" was "mangled in delivery." Maybe so, but it was mangled at conception before it was mangled in delivery.

The stereotype of liberal elites is scintillatingly embodied in John Kerry. What an ass.

Kerry's a pawn.

r.c.

Elitist. Leftist. Socialist. Marxist. Idiot. Sore Loser.

You forgot gigolo, lightweight, phony and chronic liar.

We're batting 1.000 here in the People's Republic. Our senior (moment) Senator is a treasonous Communist drunken weasel and our Junior Senator is a lying elitist gold digger.

Beeeautiful.

It’s hard for me to say this as I have the deepest respect for anybody who has served and especially for those who voluntarily seek service, but I can’t help but believe that John Kerry’s service in Viet Nam was a contrivance for future political gain. Using the real JFK as a model, he tried to come as close to PT 109 type fame as possible, serving as a Naval Officer in a river boat unit in a forward position. However, there are many flaws in his Viet Nam story. Too few months of service and too many medals for supposed valor and injury. I suspect that, like most of what this guy has done, he was fraudulent to the core.

When I wore the uniform, I was neither an engineer nor a CEO of a multi-million-dollar company. I was a senior janitor at a defense contractor. I was hardcore.

The E5 in the military is the uneducated underclass dregs of civilian society.

Loveay, have Rutherford pour me another martini while I work on my coif in preparation for my windsurfing photo op.

This photo from the troops is priceless:
http://www.hubpolitics.com/archives/001173.php

Ok, so he finally said he's sorry.

You know, I really don't care what this a$$hole has to say on any given day, and it wouldn't normally be worth the time to post a comment on. Even the most outlandish, offensive remark from Kerry might elicit a "humph" or a snicker from me, and afterwards I'll just go back to cracking gay jokes on this site (because really, do we ever get tired of those?). In any case, I truly lack the energy to pay any attention whatever to the man.

So this is less about him, then about the quality of candidates either party is able to put forward.

Seriously, does it take a brain surgeon, a rocket scientist, or even your average DC PR guy to know that this thing is going to blow up HUGE? So why not apologize up front? No, No...it's better to wait until the public outcry is so massive, and everyone's grandma knows what a complete and utter dickhead you are before you finally break down and make a forced apology that no one will believe.

Is this guy stupid? No.

Is he principled? Maybe.

Is he an arrogant a$$hole that can't see the world beyond his circle of "yes" men? You betcha.

These guys can't even pull off a good politician act. Come on, it's not that hard! It's got to be a close second to doing Elvis or Ed Sullivan.

These people who rule us (or want to) are comically out of sync with most of the country. Why on earth do we tolerate this mediocrity?

What John Kerry said about the troops is no worse -- in fact, it's less worse -- than what George Bush has done to the troops.

John Kerry neither has the balls or the brains to take a committed stand on anything. I think most would agree that Iraq is not going well and that Bush erred when he made the decision to change course after the initial successes and leave us there too long. But, at least Bush made an executive decision that the Commander in Chief is privileged to make. Kerry, as he’s done his whole career to remain politically viable, sits on the sidelines and whines and criticizes while offering no concrete solutions. All you need to know about Kerry’s character and his lack of commitment is demonstrated by his support for the incursion when it was a hot popular topic and his about face and criticism of same now that it’s unpopular.

It's what he really thinks.....

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061102/D8L4QH580.html

Homer, you are so right. They are completely out of sync with the masses. I suspect so because most of them have nothing in common with those who they govern. Most of our current crop of pols are people who are, and in many cases always were, privileged. They can't relate and in a majority of cases and choose not to. Life looks different when you have a secure cushy well paid job for life with a pletora of benefits and when you wake up every day concerned about where the money is coming from to pay the bills.