The reaction to Senator John Kerry's slam on military people has been even more strident than I expected. Naturally, the whole story is buried or spun into some sort of Bush attack by the leftist media, but I imagine it's the lead story for the right radio talkers.
My take, as usual, is different from the talking heads from both sides. The lefties say it was just a botched joke about Bush. There's no way you can possibly twist his words into any conceivable Bush joke unless you just didn't see the video. Everyone else is demanding he apologize, while Kerry himself went insane in a press conference, where he blamed Bush. I like the trend of most Democrats, who automatically fall back to "it's Bush's fault" whenever something goes wrong, even when it was their own gaffe.
What I would suggest is that there's no need to demand Kerry apologize. If he were to apologize for stating his true belief, it would be a false and meaningless act. Kerry's statement that basically labels military personnel as a bunch of losers simply represents his true belief. The best and most believable apology he could make would be, "I'm sorry if I offended anyone in the military with my statement, but I stand by my belief that the military is the last resort for people who can't cut it anywhere else."
Politically, there's a pretty good comparison that illustrates the double standard among the press. A few years back, Trent Lott gave a speech at Strom Thurmond's retirement party, and got driven from his position as a Senate GOP leader just because he said something nice about Strom. He just said that the country might be better off today if Strom had been President. The Democrats and their media megaphone twisted that into the idea that Trent was a racist, because Strom was a civil rights opponent (and a Democrat) back in the days when he had Presidential aspirations. Trent didn't say anything at all racist, and certainly demeaned no one in his speech, but was driven out of his position.
What a contrast with Kerry, who simply says what he believes, which offends most of the population, but gets a pass from a press desperate to contain the damage less than a week before elections.
No apology required. Just let the man keep talking.
2 comments:
i dunno... i find that only very mildly offensive. it was poorly worded, to be sure, but it's very true that the military provides a great opportunity for people who've struggled to find their place in society. a military term can mold a person who "can't cut it" elsewhere into an outstanding citizen. why apologize for that?
Absolutely, although Kerry said it in a derogatory manner, the military is a great option for rudderless underachievers.
The fact is, somebody who was sort of a zero through high school can sign up for one of the military branches and come out an educated, disciplined, and productive individual.
I knew such a zero in High School, who truly didn't have many options. His grade weren't any good, and he didn't really have anything going for him that I knew about. So he went into the military - unfortunately after all these years I've forgotten which branch.
I ran into him a few years later, and didn't recognize him at first. The kid I knew as a little skinny slacker who was more irritating than anything else had gotten tall, was more fit than I was, and his personality had even changed.
Plus, he was getting a college degree.
Overall, I'd say that's a great thing. But I also say it shouldn't be demeaned by stupid politicians.
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