Halp us Jon Carry, we r stuk in Irak!!!
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fossten
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Welcum too teh Politix Forrum. 
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The Military Responds
The Military Responds
Kerry's words drew both surprise and pointed responses from military quarters.
"Most people I talked to were astonished" by what they heard Kerry say, said Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness David Chu.
"I do think I take this as a personal challenge to get the word out about the high level of education and ability in our force today. My understanding is he questioned whether our people were graduates of high schools. We have a high-school diploma graduation rate that exceeds the national average. My job is to make sure everybody in the country understands that most especially members of our elected legislature," Chu said.
On Wednesday, the Department of Defense released education level rates for enlisted forces and officers. In the four branches of the Armed Forces, 97.5 percent of commissioned officers graduated college. Of warranted officers, 28. 6 percent graduated college and 82.9 percent of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps completed some college. The U.S. Air Force does not have warranted officers. Among the enlisted servicemen, 99 percent graduated high school, and 11.4 percent completed some college.
"This is deja vu all over again," said retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Burton Moore, calling Kerry's remarks typical of the "liberal elitist attitude towards our men and women who are serving, many of whom are college graduates."
"If you recall back in the Vietnam War how he likened the troops to raping and pillaging across Vietnam like Genghis Khan. I think it must be something that must be within his own psyche and only he can answer that, but it angers all of us out here to hear it," Moore said.
Elected Republican military veterans also made clear they were not appreciative of the Kerry's comments.
"The Armed Forces of 2006 are made up of the brightest, most dedicated young men and women to ever serve our nation. They understand that terrorism has to be fought, not appeased. These comments are beneath Senator Kerry," added Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is still an Air Force Reserves attorney.
"Some (U.S. troops) have high school diplomas, some have graduate degrees, but they are all serving. I am grateful for them, and to somehow suggest that only those lacking academic credentials are the ones who serving is an insult to every one of those young people, young and old, in what I believe is a noble cause," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told FOX News. McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran, is a potential presidential rival to Kerry in 2008.
"We're not talking about fellow politicians. I can take anything that's thrown at me, I am a tough guy," McCain said, adding he would accept an apology if Kerry made one. "This particular comment is so harmful to these brave young people. ... They are the very best of America, let's never forget that."
Kerry fired back, telling the former Vietnam prisoner of war that he "ought to ask for an apology from (Defense Secretary) Donald Rumsfeld for making the mistakes he's made. John McCain ought to ask for an apology from this administration for not sending enough troops."
Democrats have several military veterans in the congressional midterm election. They are counting on their experience to increase the credibility of their criticism about the way the Iraq war has been conducted. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark suggested Kerry's remarks are not helpful to Democrats trying to take back the House and Senate.
But former Georgia Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, another combat veteran who lost three limbs in Vietnam, said Kerry is speaking on behalf of millions of fed-up Americans.
"I think people will remember John Kerry's press conference today as the moment we Democrats stopped once and forever accepting the disgraceful smears of Republicans. John Kerry showed our party how to fight back with the truth," Cleland said.
"John Kerry is a patriot who has fought tooth and nail for veterans ever since he came home from Vietnam. He has stood with his brothers in arms unlike this administration, which exploits our troops to make a political point and divide America," he added.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi added that Republicans are trying to exploit the troops by deliberately misinterpreting Kerry.
"President Bush, who has failed our troops in Iraq in so many ways, should at least have the decency not to use them in a desperate attempt to rescue his rubber stamp Republican Congress," Pelosi, D-Calif., said.
Some political analysts said Kerry's reactions to calls for an apology make clear he is still stinging from 2004 Swift Boat Veteran ads that accused the senator of turning on his comrades.
"He thinks if he had reacted more vigorously he'd be president of the United States today," said conservative columnist Robert Novak. "I don't think that's true but John Kerry thinks it's true and therefore there is this almost hysterical mode where he repeats himself over and over and over again in the press conference."
Moore said if Kerry is thinking of running again in 2008, he can't believe he would deliberately insult the men and women in Iraq. But he said Kerry can't take his words back.
"He wasn't at a military base. He wasn't at an Army recruiting center. He was talking to some young people and he was saying that if you study hard you are not going to have to wind up being a soldier, a sailor, an airman, a Marine defending your country, which while he'd likes to take great credit for being a great war hero, I think I side with the Swift Boat people that Senator Kerry has a lot still to answer about for his Vietnam service," Moore said.
McCain added that he didn't know if the comments would impact the election.
"I know that the American people value and revere our military people more than any other institution, as they should. How this affects them, I'm not clear. It certainly can't be beneficial to the Democrat cause, but I don't know."
The Military Responds
Kerry's words drew both surprise and pointed responses from military quarters.
"Most people I talked to were astonished" by what they heard Kerry say, said Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness David Chu.
"I do think I take this as a personal challenge to get the word out about the high level of education and ability in our force today. My understanding is he questioned whether our people were graduates of high schools. We have a high-school diploma graduation rate that exceeds the national average. My job is to make sure everybody in the country understands that most especially members of our elected legislature," Chu said.
On Wednesday, the Department of Defense released education level rates for enlisted forces and officers. In the four branches of the Armed Forces, 97.5 percent of commissioned officers graduated college. Of warranted officers, 28. 6 percent graduated college and 82.9 percent of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps completed some college. The U.S. Air Force does not have warranted officers. Among the enlisted servicemen, 99 percent graduated high school, and 11.4 percent completed some college.
"This is deja vu all over again," said retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Burton Moore, calling Kerry's remarks typical of the "liberal elitist attitude towards our men and women who are serving, many of whom are college graduates."
"If you recall back in the Vietnam War how he likened the troops to raping and pillaging across Vietnam like Genghis Khan. I think it must be something that must be within his own psyche and only he can answer that, but it angers all of us out here to hear it," Moore said.
Elected Republican military veterans also made clear they were not appreciative of the Kerry's comments.
"The Armed Forces of 2006 are made up of the brightest, most dedicated young men and women to ever serve our nation. They understand that terrorism has to be fought, not appeased. These comments are beneath Senator Kerry," added Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is still an Air Force Reserves attorney.
"Some (U.S. troops) have high school diplomas, some have graduate degrees, but they are all serving. I am grateful for them, and to somehow suggest that only those lacking academic credentials are the ones who serving is an insult to every one of those young people, young and old, in what I believe is a noble cause," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told FOX News. McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran, is a potential presidential rival to Kerry in 2008.
"We're not talking about fellow politicians. I can take anything that's thrown at me, I am a tough guy," McCain said, adding he would accept an apology if Kerry made one. "This particular comment is so harmful to these brave young people. ... They are the very best of America, let's never forget that."
Kerry fired back, telling the former Vietnam prisoner of war that he "ought to ask for an apology from (Defense Secretary) Donald Rumsfeld for making the mistakes he's made. John McCain ought to ask for an apology from this administration for not sending enough troops."
Democrats have several military veterans in the congressional midterm election. They are counting on their experience to increase the credibility of their criticism about the way the Iraq war has been conducted. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark suggested Kerry's remarks are not helpful to Democrats trying to take back the House and Senate.
But former Georgia Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, another combat veteran who lost three limbs in Vietnam, said Kerry is speaking on behalf of millions of fed-up Americans.
"I think people will remember John Kerry's press conference today as the moment we Democrats stopped once and forever accepting the disgraceful smears of Republicans. John Kerry showed our party how to fight back with the truth," Cleland said.
"John Kerry is a patriot who has fought tooth and nail for veterans ever since he came home from Vietnam. He has stood with his brothers in arms unlike this administration, which exploits our troops to make a political point and divide America," he added.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi added that Republicans are trying to exploit the troops by deliberately misinterpreting Kerry.
"President Bush, who has failed our troops in Iraq in so many ways, should at least have the decency not to use them in a desperate attempt to rescue his rubber stamp Republican Congress," Pelosi, D-Calif., said.
Some political analysts said Kerry's reactions to calls for an apology make clear he is still stinging from 2004 Swift Boat Veteran ads that accused the senator of turning on his comrades.
"He thinks if he had reacted more vigorously he'd be president of the United States today," said conservative columnist Robert Novak. "I don't think that's true but John Kerry thinks it's true and therefore there is this almost hysterical mode where he repeats himself over and over and over again in the press conference."
Moore said if Kerry is thinking of running again in 2008, he can't believe he would deliberately insult the men and women in Iraq. But he said Kerry can't take his words back.
"He wasn't at a military base. He wasn't at an Army recruiting center. He was talking to some young people and he was saying that if you study hard you are not going to have to wind up being a soldier, a sailor, an airman, a Marine defending your country, which while he'd likes to take great credit for being a great war hero, I think I side with the Swift Boat people that Senator Kerry has a lot still to answer about for his Vietnam service," Moore said.
McCain added that he didn't know if the comments would impact the election.
"I know that the American people value and revere our military people more than any other institution, as they should. How this affects them, I'm not clear. It certainly can't be beneficial to the Democrat cause, but I don't know."