what do you think about what John Kerry said about soldiers in Iraq?

Question

do you think he was trying to say something else but it can out wrong?

Answer 1

I think he said what he ment and ment what he said.

the man has a nack for insulting the armed forces and bringing down moral, just ask the vietnam POWs

Answer 2

Recruitment programs have long used advanced education and field training as the carrot to dangle in front of young men and women in attempt to get them to sign up. "be all you can" type ads are run continuously even now when many that would sign up understand that they could be deployed after initial training. The aviation guarantee was a program that attracted many young folks throughout the sixty’s and seventy’s.

I like the commercial where the kid tells his father he has found a way to get the education he desires, the father say's what kind of training is it? The son says the ARMY, the father just struck gold because he won't have to foot the college tuition.

There was a time when judges would give young offenders a choice "jail or the service"

Many of the Vietnam era soldiers were from underclass family’s and had minimal education, that's just the way it was, many of the young men and women of this era simply did not have the desire or the funds to continue into a college education and felt it was optional at the time.

Today most young folks have at least a high school education and perhaps a year or two of community college however, many were drawn to the reserves for opportunities of continued education and benefits that the job market in civilian life was not offering. Many of the older reservists were working towards a pension in addition to their civilian job retirement plans. These folks were probably well educated and had achieved officer status.

That is the current make up of the forces deployed at this time.

I think that if you look at the grunt infantry soldiers today it is not that much different. They are still honorable and brave Soldiers one and all.

I feel Kerrys comments were directed at the politicians. He is a veteran from the Veitnam war and has seen what I describe above.

Answer 3

The people who think he meant it to sound like it did were already anti Kerry and would find fault no matter what he said.

Anyone listening to it objectively can tell immediatly that it was a joke gone bad, but with still some truth. Part of the problem it a lot of people seem to think he called the troops dumb or stupid and he never said anything of the kind.

Answer 4

Good grief-he tried to make a joke and none are surprised his comedic timing is far from Jon Stewart-like. Can we get back to real issues now? You'd think this election was a race between Bush and Kerry. And I think it's already been established that the people prefer someone who never went to war over anyone who went to war. If anyone insulted our soldiers, that would be those who insulted John Kerry or Max Cleeland or the many veterans who stood with him.

Answer 5

I think he was trying to be "cool". I don't really believe he thinks that people serving in the military are stupid, but he speaks prior to engaging his brain. It is a typical arrogant politically driven comment. All politicians say stupid things and then are beat up about them. Sadly, John Kerry, has a history of this. His bigger mistake was to pretend that it was something other than just a lapse of brain power. Consequences are catching up with him.

Answer 6

As much of a dufus as Kerry is, he spoke the truth. How many politicians' kids do you see on the front lines in Iraq? NONE! They're all holed up in ivy league colleges, protected from the dangers of Bush's insane war.
Only those kids who can't afford to go to college, or who don't work hard enough to stay in college, end up getting "stuck in Iraq". I don't understand why the Democrats don't hang onto this basic truth and turn it around to make it an issue to their advantage! -RKO-

Answer 7

Yes. Definitely. I voted for him last time, and I have to say, the longer passes since he made the comment, the more it angers me. It appears that, after he effed up his political chances by being an uncharismatic horseface in 2004, he now has an "oh, what the hell" attitude, a burnout attitude, and doesn't care to harm other people's chances.

He should go dig a hole and crawl in it. What a moron.

Answer 8

I don't think he knows what he said. However, it seems to be a problem for him that he is unable to correct.

He'll go down in history as the Senator that said he did after he said he didn't and no matter what, he won't apologized for criticizing the Bush administration.

I for one am glad he is not going to be the president and happy for the people of MA, that he is not going to run for senate again.
All we need now? Teddy needs to retire!

Answer 9

Why is anybody surprised? John Kerry is anti-military and he has spoken out against the military his whole political career, and has never supported the military as a Senator. So, why is there such a debate. Thank God he was not elected President!

Answer 10

Ho ho Ho ho HO. Trying to say something else? Not a chance. His statement has been broken down sooooo many times, by people looking for a way to make some sense of it. They all failed to achieve their goal. There is no way he meant anything other than what he said. Had he not done it sooooooo many times before, then I think a little forgiveness and understanding might be in order. He refused to apologize. REFUSED. AFTER having AMPLE TIME to correct his statement. Nooooo. I won't ever be fooled by him.