White House, Kerry Exchange Accusations

pwfaith · #1 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 07:36 PM

Sorry couldn't resist LOL

WASHINGTON â€” The White House and Sen. John Kerry traded their harshest accusations since the 2004 presidential race on Tuesday, with President Bush accusing the Democrat of troop-bashing and Kerry calling the president's men hacks who are "willing to lie."

The war of words, tough even for this hard-fought campaign season, came after Kerry told a group of California students on Monday that those unable to navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."

White House press secretary Tony Snow was asked about Kerry's comment at his regular briefing with reporters, and had clearly come prepared with a lengthy attack. He said the quote "fits a pattern" of negative remarks about U.S. soldiers from the decorated Vietnam veteran and suggested that whether Democratic candidates _ particularly those running on their military

Bush, campaigning later in Georgia, said Kerry's statement was"insulting and it is shameful."

"The members of the United States military are plenty smart and they are plenty brave and the senator from Massachusettsowes them an apology,"Bush said during an appearance for a former GOP congressman, Mac Collins, who is trying to oust Democratic Rep. Jim Marshall. There were boos at the mention of Kerry's name and cheers at Bush's call for an apology.

Kerry, who is considering another run for the White House in 2008, angrily fired back.

At a hastily arranged news conference in Seattle, Kerry said:"I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy."

Kerry said the comment in question was "a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops ... and they know that's what I was talking about."

It came during a campaign rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. Kerry opened his speech at Pasadena City College with several one-liners, saying at one point that Bush had lived in Texas but now "lives in a state of denial."

He then said: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

Added House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., struggling to keep his party in control of Congress: "Our soldiers risk their lives in the face of grave dangers on the battlefield, and no one who chooses to courageously and selflessly defend our country can be considered'uneducated.'
(link)

NICE! Could have fooled me that my husband with a 140 IQ was consider stupid and uneducated b/c he was military. That has to be one of the worst things I've ever heard said about troops.