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Sen. John Kerry on Imus: ‘I Told the Truth’
Sen. John Kerry dug a hole even deeper Wednesday morning as he tried to explain his way out of the comments that have ignited rage throughout the United States, particularly among veterans, military members and their families. At a campaign event for California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides at Pasadena City College on Monday, the Massachusetts Democrat and Vietnam veteran said: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
During a Wednesday radio interview on "Imus in the Morning,” Kerry said he told the truth about Iraq and the Bush administration, but he said he was not trying to be critical of the intelligence of U.S. military members. He blamed the Bush administration for trying to "distort” his words for political gain.
"Everybody knows I botched a joke,” Kerry told Imus. "Not the first time I’ve done it, but … it’s just a disgraceful thing when people try to assert that someone like me … that the notion that this comment was directed at them [the U.S. military] is an insult to these guys.”
Host Don Imus opened the interview by pleading with Kerry – whom Imus called "a friend” – to stop talking about his comments.
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"Please stop it … Stop talking,” Imus said. "Go home, get on the bike, go windsurfing, anything … Stop it. You’re going to ruin this [proposed gains by Democrats in the elections].”
Imus has openly supported several Democratic candidates on his program, including Tennessee’s Harold Ford, Jr. and Sen. Joe Lieberman, who lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut but is running as an independent candidate for re-election to the Senate.
Kerry refused to stop talking and refused again to apologize for his remarks, instead demanding that the Bush administration apologize for its "mishandling” of the Iraq war.
"I’m not going to stand back from the reality here,” Kerry said. "They [the Bush administration] are trying to change the subject … It’s their campaign of fear and smear.
"I’ve told the truth in the past,” Kerry continued. "I’ve never done anything except tell the truth … The American people rely on the truth …”
In another statement that will not endear him to military veterans – particularly those who fought valiantly against the Vietcong during the Vietnam War – Kerry cited his military experience and background as a means of insulating himself from criticism.
"When I came back from southeast Asia, I told the truth,” he said. "I’m proud that I stood up and told the truth then and I told the truth about Iraq every step of the way.”
With a reference to his failed 2004 bid for the White House, Kerry brought up the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. That group openly campaigned against Kerry, saying his comments upon returning to the United States after his military service – including his Senate testimony about U.S. soldiers raping and murdering innocent women and children – were harmful to the morale of U.S. troops and led to more lives being lost.
Referring to the most recent flap, Kerry said: "This is Swift Boat stuff all over again. It’s controversy, but the controversy is based on a lie.”
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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