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After Botched Apology Kerry Blames Republicans

by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace · 49 Comments · · Print This Story Print This Story

(2006-11-01) — During Sen. John Kerry’s most recent hourly news conference, the former Democrat presidential nominee said he was sorry for what he called “a botched apology” posted to his website earlier in the day, that was spurred by his “botched joke” on Monday.

The text of his apology reads, in part…

As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop.

I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended.

“In the course of my botched apology,” the senator said this evening, “I inadvertently used the word ‘troop’ to refer to a single individual. I also used the word ‘imply’ when I should have used ‘infer’, and I said that I ‘personally apologize’ to anyone who was offended, when in fact, I simply posted a few sentences on the website, addressed to no one in particular.”

“Come to think of it,” he added, “my apology didn’t admit wrong doing, express regret for my actions or offer to make things right. I really just blamed the troops for misunderstanding my joke. So, perhaps ‘apology’ was not the precise term for it.”

Sen. Kerry said his poorly-worded apology, however, does reinforce the premise of his original ‘botched joke’ about bad students being sent to war, since he is a combat veteran.

“The ultimate message of my failed apology,” he said, “is that the Republicans will do anything to divert attention from the quagmire in Iraq, even if it means letting a Democrat Senator scuttle his party’s political strategy on the eve of national elections.”

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Tags: Politics · U.S. News

49 responses so far ↓

  • 1 dbward // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:34 pm

    Another gift from “the gift that keeps on giving” - H. L. Mencken was right when he said that unsuccessful candidates for the presidency and ex-presidents end up as public nuisances.

  • 2 gafisher // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:36 pm

    May God bless the United States of America!

  • 3 onlineanalyst // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:46 pm

    “Oh, what a tangled web we weave…”
    Keep spinning, Mr. Kerry.

  • 4 gafisher // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:48 pm

    John Kerry could make something ([deleted]) of himself if he’d just learn to botch botching.

  • 5 Darthmeister // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:50 pm

    The man would nuance his own epitaph:

    Here lies John Heinz Kerry

    I meant “here” only in the sense that I was in the general vicinity but six feet underground. And by six feet I don’t mean to imply that I had six feet, but rather that I did possess only two appendages called feet, therefore six feet was meant to be understood as a unit of measure from the surface of the ground to where my decaying body presently resides.

    As to the word “lies”. I didn’t men “lie” as in not telling the truth, but rather lies as in being in a supine state in a coffin … six feet underground (see above). And my present state is all Bush’s and the rest of the right-wing nutjobs’ fault because they voted against cloning and embryonic stem cell research.

  • 6 sojourner // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:52 pm

    Thank God that Kerry’s only botching public speaking instead of botching our entire country’s policies for decades to come. It would’ve been disasterous had he nominated two supreme court justices.

  • 7 prettyold // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:52 pm

    I wonder if John Kerry ever played “Botchy Ball”He must be good at something.

    Adequate? Mediocre? Disgracefully Inept?

  • 8 Darthmeister // Nov 1, 2006 at 10:53 pm

    If Kerry had simply been wearing his tinfoil hat, none of this would have happened. Or maybe he’s using aluminum foil instead of tinfoil.

  • 9 Bill's Bites // Nov 1, 2006 at 11:14 pm

    After Botched Apology Kerry Blames Republicans…

    After Botched Apology Kerry Blames Republicans (2006-11-01) — During Sen. John Kerry’s most recent hourly news conference, the former Democrat presidential nominee said he was sorry for what he called “a botched apology” posted to his website ea…

  • 10 LuckyDog // Nov 1, 2006 at 11:20 pm

    Imagine what it must require from a dhimmocrat to be so publicly shunned by the party as John K is now being shunned. Teddy killed a campaign staffer, and that was no big thing for the dhimmys. Jimmah tossed Iran overboard and stabbed slick Willy with a worthless NoKo treaty. Hey, among friends … right? And speaking of slick Willy, heck NOW members were standing in line with all the other bimbos. I mean, I found Kerry’s remarks to be a stupid and revealing as the next person. But, what gives with the dhimmicrats tossing him out?

  • 11 Scott Ott // Nov 1, 2006 at 11:22 pm

    After Botched Apology Kerry Blames Republicans…

    by Scott Ott(2006-11-01) — During Sen. John Kerry’s most recent hourly news conference, the former Democrat presidential nominee said he was sorry for what he called “a botched apology” posted to his website earlier in the day, that was spurred…

  • 12 conserve-a-tips // Nov 1, 2006 at 11:49 pm

    Luckydog, you see the difference is that Kerry not only botched a joke and his apology, but he may have botched getting his dhimmys reelected. Now one may murder, steal, lie, cheat and be an all around not very nice guy, but when you mess with the dhimmys getting elected…well…it’s curtains Joe (as in Lieberman?).

    From OKLAHOMA! to the tune of “Poor Jud”
    1st and second verse sung by GWB. Third verse sung by John, himself. Last part duet.

    Poor John is daid. Poor John K. is daid.
    His aspirations mouldering in the grave.
    (In the grave)
    He tried to tell a joke.
    But the whole thing, he misspoke.
    His Herman Munster face he could not save.
    (Could not save)

    Poor John is daid. Poor John K. is daid.
    He thought he’d run for president again.
    (Oh, again)
    But his disdain for the troops
    Has turned his bid to poops
    His hopes are down the crapper -er - the drain.
    (Yes, the drain)

    Poor John is daid - no laurel for his haid.
    He can’t determine what he is to do.
    (what to do)
    His future only holds
    The ketchup queen so cold.
    For his senate days are sadly numbered too.
    (numbered too)

    Poooooorrrrrrr Joohhhhhnnn. Pooorrrrr Joooohhhhn.

    I just love that movie.

  • 13 LuckyDog // Nov 1, 2006 at 11:56 pm

    CAT(s)

    Thanks for the answer and the entertainment. For the life of me I can’t think of any other answer as to why they tossed someone finally. Then again, we’ll see what their tune is after the votes are counted.

  • 14 conserve-a-tips // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:01 am

    I have a feeling that part of the answer lies in the name “Hillary” who is no longer using Clinton alongside that name. It is a well-known fact that Lurch was planning on challenging her and I have a feeling that she is much more powerful in the party then he is. It seems that instead of “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature” it is more like “It’s not nice to challenge Hillary.”

  • 15 LuckyDog // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:05 am

    Roger that. She is honestly scary. And she has a look that would knock the wood out of the sternest of men.

    (smile)

  • 16 LuckyDog // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:08 am

    Roger that. She is honestly scary. And she has a look that would knock the wood out of the sternest of men.

  • 17 camojack // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:30 am

    “Bray King” (like that?) nooz…

  • 18 Fred Sinclair // Nov 2, 2006 at 2:02 am

    An earlier JFK: John Fitzgerald Kennedy, we knew what the “F” in his name represented. I never knew what the “F” in John Kerry’s name represented, so it seems educational that recently he has “outed” himself, so that the whole world knows. Unless I miss my guess, it’s not “Funny”.

    Without wax,
    Heirborn Ranger

  • 19 bystander // Nov 2, 2006 at 7:25 am

    Yup I am a Dem !

    Don’t worry, not all of us Dems are as dumb as you guys assert.

    I’d vote for Bush’s dog before I ever cast a vote for that dimwit Kerry.

    Never went for guys who carried cams with them to film their alleged exploits in battle !

  • 20 Darthmeister // Nov 2, 2006 at 7:34 am

    BTW, there are now four different official versions of what John Kerry MEANT to say.

    Buwahahahahaha. Even his own shills in the lamestream media can’t get it right! And of course Kerry said he left out the word “us”: You know, education, if you make the most of it, and 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. Yeah right, Mr. Kerry, you want another shot at lying to us?

    But as any honest student of history knows, the left has always believed the military is the dumping grounds for mental and moral defectives who end up engaging in endless My Lais like so many “Jinjus Kahns”. Kerry knew exactly what he was saying and he was stupid enough to have said it ON VIDEOTAPE.

  • 21 JamesonLewis3rd // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:05 am

    Kerry’s non-apology deserves non-acceptance as far as I’m concerned.

    This comment of his is merely the most recent in a string of similar slurs going back over 35 years.

    Kerry played a major role in inciting the spit that flew in the faces of American troops as they returned home from Viet Nam. He hasn’t apologized for that, either.

    As our parents feared they would, the Commies snuck in on us.

    Slightly OT:
    The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Employment Law Project and the Transnational Legal Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law today filed a petition urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to find the United States in violation of its universal human rights obligations by failing to protect millions of undocumented workers from exploitation and discrimination in the workplace.

  • 22 MargeinMI // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:13 am

    C-A-T, Brava! Brava! The ‘Singing Cowboy’ movie is a favorite here too. When the boy was about 4, he treated Target to his loud and off-key version of ‘Oh What A Beautiful Morning,’ bringing smiles to all around. I was relieved he didn’t sing his other favorite: ‘There Ain’t Nothing Like a Dame!’

    I was anticipating the Dims scraping the bottom of the barrel for an October surprise. How very fitting it comes from their last offering (and possible ‘08 candidate) for POTUS/CIC.

    As they say in the blogisphere…..

    BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

    Oh, and a couple of personal comments:

    Maggie, You are on fire lately!!! And thumbs up on that other thing.

    Welcome back to some familiar folks: kajun, Big Java, Fred, CalGirl and did I see BadAndy pass through? Shouting out to Math Mom: we miss you!

    Morning Scrapplers!

  • 23 Ms RightWing, Ink // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:14 am

    wow. Late to the feeding trough again. Do you think Kerry will be careful what he says from now on? Nah…

    I hear he is up for an award at The Golden Dope Awards-Kennedy has taken the trophy carved from BS dung every year. Could this be Kerry’s year.

  • 24 conserve-a-tips // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:31 am

    Food morning all. Boy is it cold!! 25 degrees??? Wha’ hoppen?? I thought there was global warming. Didn’t think so.

    Marge…just be very pleased that he didn’t treat the customers to “I’m Just A Girl Who Cain’t Say No”.

    BTW: This out today:

    During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to “the perpetuation of war crimes.”

    “I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown,” Kerry wrote. “We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply ‘doing its job.’

    “Equally as important, a volunteer army with our present constitutional crisis takes accountability away from the president and put the people further from control over military activities,” he wrote.

    Of course he now says that you have to view it from the era in which it was written. Ummmm…just like we view his comments three days ago from the era in which it was written? Uh huh.

  • 25 mustardseed // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:32 am

    They claim that Santorum is a puppet for Bush. Then what is Casey when he tells his constituents that what Kerry said was just a joke. At least Santorum presents a plausible argument for his positions. All Casey can do is say, — “Yea, same thing he (Kerry) said”.

  • 26 conserve-a-tips // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:44 am

    Food morning?? Hmmm. Musta been a Freudian slip. I just took my actonel and can’t eat for another 30 minutes. Sooo, Food morning all. :-)

  • 27 Maggie // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:05 am

    Good Morning Everybody,

    Thanks Marge for the compliment.It perked up my day.
    re #21….you are still the head cheerleader.Wahoooooo

  • 28 upnorthlurkin // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:09 am

    Food morning to you too, CAT(s)! It’s 23° up here! We’re only going to reach 31° today too. Brisk NW winds again from our friends in Canada….wish they could think of something else to send our way!

    On topic, I have to agree with you…this is the dhimmis gift…now they can cross J effin K off the short list of POTUS candidates for ‘08. (There’s a t-shirt at IMAO with a photo of hill and bill and the caption is Do Not Resuscitate! I really want one….just don’t know if I have the guts to wear it anywhere!!)

  • 29 camojack // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:13 am

    There’s a really good (and really long) comment posted at the apology thread on Kerry’s blog; it’s about halfway through the (mostly hero worship!!!) 300+ comments, by a someone who is, in her own words: “I’m a Troop – well, an ex-troop, I retired from the Army in 2005 after 20 years of service.”

    Well worth the read, IM[NS]HO. Or if you don’t want to risk feeling all icky by going to Kerry’s blog, I’ll send a “copy & paste” of it to anyone upon request, by email. It’s a “keeper”…

  • 30 gafisher // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:15 am

    Apology: I just noticed a ([deleted]) in my post #4 above. I do not recall using an offensive word or phrase in that post and am appalled to find that I may have inadvertently done so. I am sincerely sorry if that was the case and will exercise more care in composing my comments in the future. My humble thanks go to whoever it was (presumably Scott) that ([deleted]) the offensive word or phrase.

  • 31 upnorthlurkin // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:19 am

    Marge, don’t forget Cassandra, ColoradoKittyCat, MindNumbedKid, Mack, SgtUSMC1, Pookie, Spdrdr, Cricket, Dr Stuhl, etc. (Lots of them still contribute at Cassandra’s blog…) ;-)

  • 32 camojack // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:19 am

    Silly me; it must be past this 3rd shifter’s bedtime…but before I go, THIS is a shortcut, direct to the aforementioned comment on (that loser!) Kerry’s blog.

    ZZZ

  • 33 MargeinMI // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:43 am

    Thanks upnorth! My list wasn’t meant to be exclusive.

    :;o):

  • 34 MargeinMI // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:44 am

    …and panamared….

  • 35 conserve-a-tips // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:50 am

    Camojack - Wow. What a piece of writing. And from one of those uneducated (not-smart) military people. I have passed that on to relatives. You see, I am the lone conservative in my family. I can use all of the silver bullets I can gather!

  • 36 Fred Sinclair // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:53 am

    Maybe we could all send Senator John F(unny) Kerry a “Thank You” note. After all he’s given up so much in his effort to help the Republicans next Tuesday, flushed down the toilet any hope he might have had for a presidential run in ‘08.

    But then again perhaps it was engendered by Hillary to help her chances? Wonder what she has on him?

    Heirborn Ranger

  • 37 red satellites // Nov 2, 2006 at 10:06 am

    Good morning Scrapplers…

    I would like to offer up a non-greeting greeting to all Kerry supporters. Mr. Nuance just shot himself in the head for 08.

    THANK YOU GOD.

  • 38 conserve-a-tips // Nov 2, 2006 at 10:15 am

    Red Satellites: You greeted Kerry before you didn’t greet Kerry? Is that what a non-greeting greeting is? I don’t think that he shot himself in the head. Actually, I think that he just did a repeat of Viet Nam and shot himself in the butt. And the foot. And the hand. And the shoulder. And the leg. And the arm. But the head is still talking…and talking…and talking.

  • 39 Darthmeister // Nov 2, 2006 at 10:28 am

    From Victor Davis Hanson:

    One of the things I love about America is the spontaneous brilliance and humor that undermine all pretension. No better example was that wonderful banner from our brave and ingenious soldiers in Iraq…

    20 million Americans must have seen it all over the Internet, and nothing sums up the nothingness of Kerryism better than those smiling soldiers. After seeing that, no wonder he’s offering deer-in-the headlights apologies. This is a man who remembers everything and learns nothing.

    Then there was the finger-in-the wind initial Democratic response: their supposedly slight ill breeze suddenly became a Katrina hurricane, and, Presto!, they were all over the airwaves demanding from poor Kerry the apologies that just a few hours ago they thought were not necessary.

    As for Kerry — how quick the 24-hour metamorphosis from smugness to defiance to purported contriteness! At his earlier blame-the-wing-nuts-and-Rush-Limbaugh press conference, he thought he was a strutting, strong-jawed Napoleonic general leading his troops to rout the evil Bush-Cheney Prussians, and then, alone, suddenly turned around — and Mein Gott in Himmel!! — his Old Guard was heading for the hills.

    Buwahahahahahahaha! Hopefully we’ll get the last laugh on Tuesday. But even if Republicans keep both Houses, it won’t be because of John Kerry. What a retention of the House and Senate will mean is that the media polls predicting a “blue tsunami” were all wet and were in fact an attempt to depress Republican/conservative turnout and affect election results. Once again the fourth estate is discovered to be the mouthpiece of the Democratic Party, a veritable fifth column in American politics. If true, how despicable for an institution to find itself being a shill for a particularly political bent when it has claimed it was “fair and balanced” in how it handled the news.

    Though it would be difficult to argue this if the Dems do win big, it will be a no brainer if Republicans do retain their majority status come Tuesday and that point should be vigorously pressed home with the American people who have ears to hear.

  • 40 diamond jim // Nov 2, 2006 at 10:30 am

    this all hinges on what the meaning of botch is meant to be and what the definition of is is and whether John K. had sex with that woman, Monica Lew….whoops , wrong liar.

  • 41 Ms RightWing, Ink // Nov 2, 2006 at 10:36 am

    I’m back! Well, at least I’m back at the Cafe and after a quick dusting, the coffee pot was turned on just in time for a fresh delivery of Krispy Kremes

    SENATOR KERRY FIGHTING HOOF AND MOUTH DISEASE

    http://shellyscafe.blogspot.com/

  • 42 Darthmeister // Nov 2, 2006 at 10:37 am

    New Zogby Poll trumpets: DEMOCRATS CAN TAKE SENATE IN LANDSLIDE … if Republican base stays home.

    Buwhahahahaha! Yeah, and the Republicans can win every seat in the House and Senate if the Democrat base stays home. Has Zogby turned into a moonbat?

  • 43 conserve-a-tips // Nov 2, 2006 at 11:23 am

    Darthmeister - do you really need an answer to your question? OK. “Yes.” :razz:

  • 44 da Bunny // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:34 pm

    Darth, Zogby has been a moonbat all along.

  • 45 Darthmeister // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:45 pm

    My bad then. Why didn’t I get that update in my secret Karl Rove newsletter?

  • 46 GnuCarSmell // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:49 pm

    Kerry continues to dance the Botcha Nova. His verbal flailings are priceless. As if the initial slur on our troops was not insult enough, the “apology” itself is yet another insult. It’s actually nothing more than a trashing of anyone dumb enough to “misinterpret” his “botched joke.”

    Yeah, right. Dance, Kerry, dance.

  • 47 Right Mind : After Botched Apology Kerry Blames Republicans // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:36 pm

    [...] From Scott Ott over at Scrapple Face: [...]

  • 48 prettyold // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:45 pm

    I am calling for John Kerry to Resign.
    I am sending emails and plan on phoning my Senators and my congressman. I think we have put up with enough of Kerry’s ignorant insults.
    His apology : I wasn’t trying to insult the TROOP(sic), I was trying to insult the President of the United States.(slightly paraphrased).
    Go home Kerry ,your Mommy wants you.

    No one else does.

  • 49 R.A.M. // Nov 3, 2006 at 3:15 pm

    camo: re#29, I looked everywhere to be able to leave MY comment. They must have stopped taking them.

    A good cartoon about “Long John” at: http://blogs.indystar.com/varvelblog/index.html

    It is the second one. The first is about the dirty tactics of Rep. Julia Carson in the 7th districk in Indiana. It covers most of the Indianapolis area.

    Funny that Eric Dickerson, (no, not the football RB), is shown to now be leading, yet all the talk is about the OTHER 3 districts that the MSM says will change from R to D.

    I live in the 7th and SINCERELY ask for Scrapple prayers that we FINALLY get rid of Ms Carson!

    She is only slightly to the right of Nan Pelosi. I kid you not! With the voter ID law in effect this year, she may not be able to bribe the homeless people with a half pint this year, or the “day workers”.

    November 8th will tell.

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