Terminal Foot-in-mouth-itis
The good thing about Kerry's gaffe is that we won't be seeing him again as a putative presidential contender. The bad thing is that—as a perverse delayed action Halloween trick—it's choked off a lot of last-minute momentum for the Dems, possibly even throwing the balance in the Senate. For the record, I don't believe Kerry's lame explanation about a botched joke. But the problem isn't pointing out per se that the stupid class happen to be the ones enlisting, it's that if you're going to tell such an uncomfortable truth you've got to have the guts and grace to beat back a withering propaganda attack from rightwing militarists. For Kerry, evidently, that would be too much like work when all he really wanted was to bask for a while in the limelight of Dems on a roll.
Posted by George Kenney on November 2, 2006 6:36 AM 
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Comments
I agree with your assessment of Kerry's advice to soldiers to study so they "don't get stuck in Iraq". What upsets me more than the effect on momentum for the Dems is his apparent acceptance that uneducated, working class children will end up in Iraq, giving up their bodies and lives for somebody else's gain. No human being should be used in this way. It's very well to offer advice on how to avoid becoming cannon fodder, but I would prefer that he work to eliminate the structures and policies that place any of this country's young citizens in that position. Perhaps he would see it differently, if it were predominantly Ivy League graduates who were being sent to Iraq.
Posted by: John | November 2, 2006 9:49 AM
This current army in Iraq is a volunteer force. It is not by some forceful enlistment that they are currently fighting. The only reason that these "Ivy League" graduates (I guess that makes them smarter, from my experience Ivy Leaguers don't have shit for common sense) are not currently fighting is that they would much prefer oppose things that they can afford to. They don't work for a living, they spend their time complaining about the terrible "system" that the country runs by (but which also helped them get the money that they inherited). The troops in Iraq are far from uneducated. Kerry tried to make a joke, he failed, he is dumb. End of story. I may not completely agree with the current war, but I support the sacrifice made by those. It is possible to support troops but not support a war. There are plenty of educated Americans in Iraq who have the intelligence to weigh their options and make the choice to sacrifice their time for an ideal they hold. To me that should be respected. It is not ignorance, they know the cost, and yet they still do it.
Posted by: Tim Schempp | November 2, 2006 4:50 PM
I think it is a mistake to call Kerry dumb for this joke. I think it is a well crafted political dive, just like he rolled over after the election. Remember, Grandpa Bush, Bush Sr., Bush Jr., and Kerry are all members of Skull and Bones. While talking about secret societies makes some uncomfortable, the distinguished list of Bonesmen should be enough to warrant attention.
Posted by: Josh Greene | November 3, 2006 7:41 PM