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Watching the Republican-fueled uproar over John Kerry's fumbled attempt at humor, it's clear the GOP will do anything to keep the pre-election debate off its failed policies in Iraq -- trash Michael J. Fox, go after David Letterman and Rosie O'Donnell, pounce on Kerry.
It's all about distracting voters from the real issues on the table.
This Kerry thing couldn't be more of a non-issue. Everyone -- especially a veteran like John Kerry -- supports the troops.
That's not the debate; the debate is whether we are leaving our troops in the crossfire of a sectarian civil war with no clear mission and a job they are ill-equipped for (since when is our military trained to resolve thousand-year old religious hatreds?).
President Bush seized the opportunity to grandstand in a crowd of friendlies and labeled Senator Kerry's remarks "insulting" and "shameful." Insulting and shameful. Sort of like... I don't know... "Bring 'em on." Bring 'em on" was not only insulting and shameful, it was a death sentence.
But when I saw the tape of the president's stump speech and heard him say, "Our troops deserve the full support of our government," in the context of blasting the senator's gaffe, I instantly flashed back to "bring 'em on" and the six year nightmare this man's administration has wrought upon you and I and especially our soldiers in Iraq whose sacrifice was a premeditated and cynical political plot designed as the cornerstone of their Commander-in-Chief's strategy for winning a second term. They deserve better than "bring 'em on" and the president deserves to be reminded of that statement for the remainder of his pathetic career in Washington. As Kerry said, it's Bush who should apologize to the troops for sending them off to die with no clear strategy for winning.
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