Senator Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot

After the painfully boring debates which marked the 2004 Presidential campaign, the nation became aware that John Kerry wasn't the most interesting of orators - at times even coming off as a little pompous. Massachusetts voters have known this for years. Occasionally Kerry will deliver a joke, well crafted for his use by writers, and it will work. National and international attention is being given to one of those instances when that didn't work out so well for him.
What he 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.”

What his spokesman says Kerry was supposed to say:

"Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."

Still, even in the intended form the joke begs for a follow-up explainer, something along the lines of "get it? Bush was a "C" student at best, and he's intellectually lazy, you know, doesn't read the papers…" Still, a questionable joke at best. Unfortunately for Kerry the Republicans are taking the opportunity to take his actual statement and use it against him. He may have misspoke but the statement he made could be interpreted that those in the US Military serving in Iraq are underachievers and unintelligent. There many factors making this a sensitive issue. Republicans are trying to use the mishap to their advantage by vilifying Kerry as a spokesman for all Democrats and demanding an apology. It's working so far. Kerry has canceled (or been asked to cancel) some appearances in support of other candidates around the country. He still refuses to apologize for the statement and the misinterpretation spin it has been given by the other side of the aisle. In other news, there are actually people running for office (unlike Bush and Kerry) and Election Day is less than a week away.