The Kerry Flap

He was joking, ok? Not about the troops, but about the President, the administration, and their failed policy in Iraq. But in typical John Kerry fashion the joke fell flat. In fact, it sounded insulting. And in today's knock-em-down media market, a bad joke is all the Republican machine needs to start days worth of TV and radio sound bites.

To his credit, Kerry immediately went on the offensive when things started to heat up:

I'm sick and tired of a bunch of despicable Republicans who will not debate real policy, who won't take responsibility for their own mistakes, standing up and trying to make other people the butt of those mistakes. It disgusts me that a bunch of these Republican hacks who've never worn the uniform of our country are willing to lie about those who did.

Well, that's Kerry in a nutshell for you. Finally fighting the 2004 presidential election...two years late.

His lost quest for the White House aside, let's compare Kerry's honorable service in Vietnam to the service of the incompetents who are mismanaging the Iraq War and their fascist supporters:

President George W. Bush - Daddy fixed it so li'l George could fly toy planes over Texas rather than head overseas.

Vice-President Dick Cheney - Several deferments.

Strategist Karl Rove - Dodged the draft and did not serve.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice - Did not serve.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - Did not serve.

Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - Did not serve.

Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay - Did not serve.

Rush Limbaugh - Did not serve

Sean Hannity - Did not serve

Bill O'Reilly - Did not serve

The Republicans shouldn't get giddy about this. Kerry's name isn't on a ballot this year. And while the administration's name isn't either, it's their war that is going so terribly wrong. And that is what will be on voters mind next week.