John Kerry's "joke"

The discussion the last couple of days regarding John Kerry's "unintentional" dissing of our troops has been peculiarly dissonant and teeming with non sequiturs. The clearly enunciated swipe at the military; the laugh from the audience; the fact that he made no correction at the time; the fact that what he claims he meant to say was miles off what he did say. (Usually the "botched" joke bears some resemblence to the intended one!); his unwillingness to apologize; his apparent lack of awareness that he had committed a major faux pas; the agressively anti-Bush nature of his "apology"; and finally, the hurried scurrying of current democratic candidates away from him like rats from a sinking ship.

Originally, I was leaning toward believing his explanation that he had meant to bash Bush...but had misspoken. I felt no politician would be so stupid as to intentionally say what he DID say, so it must have been a mistake. But his subsequent actions, and the exact nature of the "joke" he insists he meant to tell...didn't make any sense.

Then I realized what actually happened.

John Kerry told a joke. He told the joke he meant to tell. He said exactly what he meant.

He is either:

a) still living in a dream-world past, when small venue speeches were not reported to the world at large, and figured he could get away with a joke that he believed his elitist, Liberal, college student audience would find humorous and agree with.

OR

b) being a hopelessly clueless, elitist, brahmin East Coaster without even the slightest contact with "real" people, he actually believed that such a "joke" would not be offensive to most people—or that like everyone he knows...most people would agree!

Either way, of course, he's a complete bonehead.

His contention that he would never disparage the troops is so patently absurd that one is forced to wonder if he is trying, yet again, to make a "joke".

Unfortunately, I fear not. He merely got caught being clueless, yet again, saying what he has been saying and demonstrating since 1973...that he has no respect for those wearing the uniform of the United States...and he simply cannot stop informing us all of that fact.

I might add that because Kerry was in the military in no way diminishes my opinion that he holds the troops in low regard. From his narcissistic and oddly ambitious behavior in Vietnam, his venal testimony against his fellows in the 70's, his throwing of medals away in protest...but the keeping of his own for future political use, to using his military record as a blunt instrument with which to batter George Bush in 2004, the use of his tame, pet veterans during his campaign, his disrespect for the integrity or the character of those many he served with, assuming they would not bother or be able to contradict his exaggerated claims of heroism...and his fury when they did...and of course his constant harping at George Bush who is the Commander in Chief during a time of war, all show a lifelong disdain for members and morale of the Military.

I can't stand this guy. And I'm delighted he just ended even the pathetically tiny chance he might have had to run again in 2008.

The Gunslinger