President Bush Remarks on John Kerry
EmailABC News’ Karen Travers Reports: The White House has released the following remarks on John Kerry in advance of a campaign rally in Perry, GA where they will be read by President Bush:
"Yesterday Democrat Senator John Kerry was speaking to a group of young people in California, and gave them this advice, quote: “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.”
The Senator’s suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and shameful. Our troops did not enlist because they did not study hard in school or do their homework. The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer Armed Forces are plenty smart and are serving because they are patriots – and Senator Kerry owes them an apology.
Whatever party you belong to, whatever you think about the war in Iraq, we should all agree that our troops deserve our unwavering support."
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
This is not a story. The STORY is in Kerry’s response … BUSH owes the Troops an Apology for lying them into a needless war!
Posted by: D B | October 31, 2006, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm
I am tired of Bush asking people to apologize to him or someone else. He is shameless and should leave his post and go back to the Lone Star State.
As for Kerry, the comments were not needed, but Bush is just a loser and is a dumb politician who crept up because of his rich father.
Want to see Idiots ruling America? VOTE BUSH and GOP
Posted by: Dhwani | October 31, 2006, 12:43 pm 12:43 pm
I am not only offended by John Kerry’s original comments regarding our troops in Iraq. I am further offended that Senator Kerry thinks the American public only reacted negatively to his comments when republican politicians called for an apology. It appears Mr. Kerry also thinks mainstream America lacks the ability to think for themselves. Well, Senator Kerry for a man with much public speaking experience you either weren’t smart enough to figure out what you wanted to say or you did insult our American troops.
Posted by: Leslie Akers | October 31, 2006, 1:53 pm 1:53 pm
Most people whose errors if life causes people harm; let alone loss of life or limb; feel some remorse for their mistakes. This Iraq war is an error that dwarfs Jupiter and yet the president does not have enough remorse to even admit it was a mistake. I can’t imagine any other president making the decision to go to war with Iraq in the manner this president did – to send them off to an unnecessary war is the ultimate disrespect. As for all of our brave troops who have given their all – it’s too late for an apology Mr. President!
Posted by: T. HINES | October 31, 2006, 2:04 pm 2:04 pm
I think the President, and his ever declining number of supporters, misinterpreted Sen. Kerry’s remarks.
Sen. Kerry was referring to Bush (who was not a brilliant student and is not a brilliant president) when he stated that:
“You know, education — if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well.
“If you don’t, you get us stuck in Iraq.”
While it is evident that Bush has made the most of his limited intellect and great connections, it is also true that Bush didn’t study hard (he did party hard though).
Bush apparently didn’t do his homework then, or later, when it came to false claims of WMD in Iraq or Iraqi connections to Al Queda. And, now, Bush is stuck in Iraq.
Unfortunately, until we throw out the GOP, all of the soldiers and the rest of the U.S. (us), are also stuck in Iraq.
Posted by: Dave | October 31, 2006, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
The Republicans love to govern based on things they can put on a bumper sticker (STAY THE COURSE, SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, WITH US OR AGAINST US, etc.), and they’ll do anything they can do to weasel the news of the day into one of their slogans. We all know what Kerry meant to say, and kudos to him for going on the offensive in response to the thugs’ smear tactics. That guy’s a bulldog now.
Posted by: glacialspeed | October 31, 2006, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
Kerry is a non-factor.I do believe he needs to watch how he words things.Wake up Americans can you tell that the News people are republicans to.I believe if the president would have been a democrat, the republicans would allready be talking about impeaching him, over the the lies about Iraq and the war.
Posted by: Bert | October 31, 2006, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm
I find it hard to believe as a veteran and a politician that Kerry could make such a statement. He was not making a joke as he stated, but was letting his inner feelings for Americans as a whole show through. He owes the American people and especially our troops an apology, once this has been done then he should be made to resign from any public office. Someone with such little regard for our country and those who protect it have no place in office.
Posted by: eric roper | October 31, 2006, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
I’m afraid our days of watching Mr. Gibson are over. Tonight his Democratic slant on Kerry’s slandering the troops was the final straw during this election season. He called Kerry’s stupid remarks, “An idle comment.” Come on Charley, he was delivering a speech, hardly an idle comment. Then you cover Kerry responding with he wouldn’t do that to the troops. Of course not, he hasn’t done it before, has he? Oh, yah, guess he did with his Vietnam buddies. So I guess that disproves that statement. What a jerk – the Democrats needs to keep him in a closet along with Teresa. Of course, he should apologize but that is not in the Democrat vocabulary. They can criticize, criticize and criticize all Republicans and Kerry even had choice names for our President and his press secretary today and that’s okay in his book. Same old – same old. All the Democrats are good at is blaming someone else for the problems, have no plans unless it requires raising taxes and, by the way Republicans, don’t say anything bad about them. All they know how to do is sling back more mud. Let me tell you all, including Mr. Gibson, the American people are sick of it and the last two elections prove my point. And, by the way Dave, George W. Bush was a better student at Yale than John Kerry so be careful when you talk about our President’s level of intelligence.
Posted by: Jim | October 31, 2006, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
How many children or grandchildren do Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld have fighting in Iraq?
Posted by: fred | October 31, 2006, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
listen up folks,
we have Goober,as our president.
Barney as vice president,and Floyd as sec of defense. the GOP has ran the congress for 12 years. we are now in debt to the total of eight trillion dollars. these old boys,said tax the little guy, and lessen the tax on the rich. works for them,but not for america.
Posted by: ralph | October 31, 2006, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
Mr Kerry made no slip of the tongue. In fact he prides himself in his laser sharp wit and intellect. The man is brilliant in his delivery but he is a tad short in political common sense. Mr Kerry talks to the camera and looks good. Mr Bush talks past the camera to ma and pa out in the farms in Kansas and Arkansas. Mr Bush has a long track record of slaying political giants by following the KISS method. Keep it simple stupid. He goaded Kerry into showing his massive intellect knowing ma and pa were watching…..and taking notes. Therin lies his brilliance. If Mr Bush is so stupid what does that make all his adverasaries he left by the side of the road ? He leaves them with a KISS to ponder their next chess move.
Posted by: jesse | October 31, 2006, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
I decided to see what was being said in the “mainstream” TV news about Kerry inserting his left-wing liberal foot in his mouth.
This just reminds me to thank God for Fox News.
Do all left-wing liberal idiots watch your news (and NBC, CNN or CBS)?
Posted by: Gil Valdez | October 31, 2006, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm
ever time a republican gets in office they put us back in a horse and buggy. jobs are scarce and the ecomony is terrible. they are for the rich to get richer off our backs.when the democrats are in we have a better economy. at least they care about the poorer class and try to make jobs. with all the jobs going overseas we need a goverment who cares if we have jobs. it’s hard to decide to spend our money on our prescriptions or spend our money to eat and pay bills.parents will forego their ailments to feed their children and many have 2 jobs to survive. why can’t we bring the jobs back from overseas? they may not have beat us in a war but they beat us in taking our jobs! something has got to give for the future of the children who follow us. will there be jobs or social security for them? we’ve got to get someone in office to help americans survive!!!
Posted by: sharon | October 31, 2006, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm
It’s interesting how this is the news but, in a country of sound bites, I’m not surprised. I am much more worried about how the war is being handled by the people in charge than I am about what one person may or may not have said about the troops. The problem I see is that too many people in this country support the troops in word only or, at best, with a magnetic ribbon on their cars. Before President Bush calls on Kerry to apologize for words perhaps he, himself, should apologize for his (mis)deeds.
Posted by: JP | October 31, 2006, 6:34 pm 6:34 pm
I am truly appalled @ the Media and the disrespect that people like Kerry have. What ever happened to honor, character, integrity and respect in this country? Is there such a thing as loyality anymore? It seems that each of these very important qualities have gone out the window! Wake up people! It is not all about you! We have a president that Has ALL of these great qualities above and so many are so blinded and so self-centered that they do not see truth. So many are so used to the sickness of people like Kerry and Clinton because they do and live the same way. Character DOES count more then stuffing your pocket books! We have a president that HAS Kept his word and has not wavered as the last so called president we had…not to mention Kerry. Give him a chance….he has protected us! We WILL WIN THE WAR…we already have here in our country! Wake up! Take the wool off your eyes!
Posted by: Fatima Eid | October 31, 2006, 7:03 pm 7:03 pm
President Bush is the most fiscally irresponsible president in history. President Bush has presided over the largest explosion of debt in our nation’s history. When President Bush took office, the total national debt was $5.6 trillion. The federal debt has increased 54 percent since President Bush took office, from approximately $5.6 trillion at the end of 2000 to an estimated $8.6 trillion at the end of 2006. By 2011, the President’s budget would increase the public debt to $11.8 trillion. (U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Public Debt)
This is just one more Republican distraction to keep citizens from focusing on the important things like the disappearing middle class, and the fact that we are losing the war that isn’t even being fought in the right place with the right people. Typical GOP tactics.
Posted by: Vickie | October 31, 2006, 7:07 pm 7:07 pm
Do you want to talk about the economy and politics? “Reganomics” were successful yet during his terms in office, he was ridiculed, but time proved his policies to be sound and pulled our economy upwards. The problem with Americans is with part-time troops they do not learn about the military and the patriotism it inspires. With TV and the internet, we see and hear things we had no knowledge of in WW 11. We had huge loses on D-Day and on Iwo Jima but we knew what was at stake and so we perservered and the war was our’s. Our troops know what they are fighting for, do you? All I see are people tearing apart our leaders and bashing the war they are winning. Kerry may have been in Vietnam but did he really support the war or just want to escape the army? There were vietnam vets who demonstrated after returning from the war, just like Kerry did. Is it so hard to believe that he would bash those who are volunteering now? I’m sorry that Bush and Cheney only have daughters, I’m sure they did that on purpose. Maybe people would feel differently if they had personally felt 9-11. Its a shame that other countries cared more than some of our own and those whom have already forgotten those who gave all. Our First Responders and Troops need all of us to put aside petty polotics and support them with 100% of our loyalty and our votes. I grew up with a veteran for a father and he would die if he saw how people are treating our vets today. Shame on all of you who forget who we are really hurting with our comments against the war. Why not ask the guys over there what they think about the war, or wouldn’t that help veto those who shout against the war? Listen to the guys who are putting their lives on the line everyday. Why do they heal up and go back to continue the fight? No one wants to talk about that because it isn’t popular to publicize that. Our news is not the true and accurate measure of what is REALLY going on!
Posted by: YVONNE | October 31, 2006, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
It sickens me to have to call this moron President. I hope that America has learned something from all this, but I doubt it. With Republicans in office it is always the same…the RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER. And the middle class is so drooling-stupid they aspire to belong to the “richies” and stand on the heads of the poor.
Posted by: Marie | October 31, 2006, 11:56 pm 11:56 pm
Senator Kerry is comparing his generation which was mostly a drafted military to one now that is all volunteer. The military we have now is much more advanced and better educated. If the Senator continues to think like that he’ll continue to fall in popularity and drag the Dem. party with him.
Posted by: Harry Conrad | November 1, 2006, 2:25 am 2:25 am
It’s sad that so many in this country focus on the “sensational” rather than the “rational”. It was OBVIOUS to me that his remark was directed towards President Bush AND NO ONE ELSE when I heard it. John McCain KNOWS his friend didn’t “insult” our servicemen/women… and I must say, I have lost a great deal of respect for McCain by his playing the political puppet. Americans, for heavens sake…for YOUR sake, stop letting the sensationalists do your “thinking”. STOP…LOOK…LISTEN
Posted by: Barbara B. | November 1, 2006, 2:35 am 2:35 am
It seems strange that Kerry can make a stupid statement, intentional or not, and all of a sudden a rabid fan club is screeching that the Predident needs to apologize, America is full of ‘drooling idiots’, etc. There is no middle ground these days, and the Left in this case is out of control.
Personnaly I think he was flashing back to Vietnam when his statement was true (people not smart enough to get in school and a deferral get stuck in…) . BUT, I would accept that it was misspoken if Kerry would say so. All you hear is Bush should apologize, blah, blah, blah. And Democrats too afraid to admit any mistakes are suppoting him (unless he was supposed to do a fundraiser this week, then they are running away and rescheduling like crazy). Question: Did Kerry mean it? Answer, read the posts above and you’ll get all kinds of stories about bad Republicans but no answer.
This country IS divided, and you only have to read here to see why the polititians aren’t even trying to cooperate.
God Bless America! (Ooops, I probably offended someone and can expect a lawsuit from the ACLU!)
Posted by: JOHN | November 1, 2006, 3:23 am 3:23 am
You are correct, “Americans are drooling idiots (You and I included).” All the focus is back on the war, not on the economy, gay marriage, or where the Repub’s want it to be. Either Kerry is a diabolical genius, which I doubt, or he stumbled onto something that totally took the Repub’s off of their game plan. Remember, Kerry is not up for re-election. He really has nothing to lose because he said it, not the Democratic Party.
Posted by: catcall | November 1, 2006, 5:36 am 5:36 am
let dictator bush put his two daughters in uniform & see how long the war lasts.
Posted by: bob vickers | November 1, 2006, 10:31 am 10:31 am
ABC NEWS and many other television stations have seriously taken what Senator John Kerry said out of context. I was one of the students there in the crowd and heard everything he had to say word for word. It is so amazing how the media always edits and twists everything to create a controversy that doesn’t even exist. Why doesn’t the media publish what he said BEFORE and AFTER that one lined quote, so everyone can see the WHOLE PICTURE. I don’t belong to either party, but this is just ridiculous.
Posted by: Bianca | November 2, 2006, 3:43 pm 3:43 pm
What I am tired of are people who profess to be Americans yet have zero respect for America. Yes war sucks, but guess what every man and woman in the service has volunteered! Instead of everyone pointing fingers how about unconditional support for our troops who ask nothing but respect from us. Shame on us for making them feel less, they are my heros! President Bush is our ELECTED president, it’s long past time to step up.
Posted by: Stephanie | November 6, 2006, 11:32 am 11:32 am