Regarding Those New Unemployment Figures...

The mainstream press continues to tout the "8.3% and falling" unemployment rate, knowing this will help boost Obama's re-election efforts. However, as is usual with this administration, there is what you're told and there is the truth:

"The (official) jobless rate has fallen to 8.3 percent because the percentage of adults participating in the labor force fell from 65 percent to 63.7 percent," said Peter Morici, a labor economist and business professor at the University of Maryland in College Park.

"During this recovery, the most effective jobs creation program has been to convince more adults that they don't want a job, or it's futile to look for a decent position, and they simply quit looking," said Morici.

By comparison, Gallup's unemployment rate (without seasonal adjustments the government uses) is 9.1%. The total unemployment rate (unemployed plus people who are working part-time but want fulltime) is 19.1%!

The Myth of Obama

An excellent article at Commentary which describes, in as plain an english as I've yet found, exactly why Barack Obama is not - and never was - even 1/10 the giant his supporters insisted he was. Obama was supposed to be the leader of a new age of Democrat rule, as well as the transformer of a tarnished, broken America into something more perfect, more glorious than anything we could have imagined.

Alas, it was all a dream that ended far sooner than anyone could have imagined:

2010 is shaping up to be a perfectly awful year for Democrats. It’s a safe bet that in response they and their allies will lash out in rage, angry at the perceived injustice of it all, furious at the fate that has befallen them. They will blame Obama’s predecessor, Republicans in Congress, the conservative movement, angry white males, Fox News, Sarah Palin’s tweets, and the wrong alignment of the stars. It won’t work.

Having created a myth, they must now live with its unmasking.

The Amnesty Bill Lives On

Here we go again.

Key senators tentatively agreed on a plan to revive a stalled immigration bill on Thursday, aided by President Bush's support for a quick $4.4 billion aimed at "securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site."

Most opponents of the bill view this latest move as a last ditch attempt to prove their enforcement chops. But Senator Jim DeMint points out the elephant in the room (and it sure ain't a Republican!):

"I appreciate the effort to fund border security, but there's simply no reason why we should be forced to tie amnesty to it. If the administration was serious about fulfilling the border security promises, then this funding should have been supported all along, not offered at the last minute to attract votes to a bad bill."

It's hard to argue with that. Besides, it seems we've been down this road before.

Well Said, Senator Sessions!

Maybe I should move to Alabama?

"No one has a right to come to America. We get to decide...we allow on our terms and conditions... our immigration system is set up to serve the national interest...No one has a constitutional legal right to demand entry into America. It amazes me the lack of comprehension shown...We set the standards. Se have the most generous set of laws in the world. Se're not going to end immigration or act irrationally. To set reasonable standards, as [Senator] Cornyn is attempting to do, only makes common sense."

From Michelle Malkin, who's live blogging the debate in the Senate on S. 1348.

Harry Reid: Illegals Are Americans

I just saw this on Michelle Malkin's site. She hits the nail on the head with her opening sentence, "The concept of American citiznship is dead."

Sen. Harry Reid drove the final nail in the coffin with his floor statement yesterday, in which he referred to the 12 million illegal aliens currently in the U.S. as "12 million undocumented Americans." I've heard a lot of stupid euphemisms for illegal aliens, but that one takes the cake.

Michelle provides links to a video clip and a transcript on the Senate Democrats' website.

It would really be nice if this were a misspeak on Reid's part. Unfortunately, I don't think it is. I truly believe he and all those who support this travesty of an amnesty bill see those 12 million illegals as "unofficial" Americans, and the amnesty is just the thing to make things official.

I mean, hey they live here, right? They want to be here, they want to stay here. What more do you want?

You unbelievable bastards.

When I was younger mean, ignorant people used to tease me. They called me a foreigner and would tell me to "go back home". It was hurtful, but I always reminded myself that, no matter what they said, this was my home. I was an American citizen; more than that, I was an American. Although my family had moved here (legally), I had been born here. My heart had neither love for or allegiance to any other country save this one. I never questioned the idea that, as an American, I was part of something grander, bigger, and more special than anything else on this Earth.

Until now.

Citizenship is now a bargaining chip, to be cashed in for the sake of votes. Being an "American" will soon mean nothing more that simply being in the country for a specified period of time. And instead of getting better, things will only get worse.

I hate to imagine what things will be like then.

Obama Alludes To "Quiet Riot" During A Speech

Afterwards, he closes with a rousing rendition of "Cum On Feel The Noize".

Oh, sorry. My mistake.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Tuesday that the Bush administration has done nothing to defuse a "quiet riot" among blacks that threatens to erupt just as riots in Los Angeles did 15 years ago.

The first-term Illinois senator said that with black people from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast still displaced 20 months after Hurricane Katrina, frustration and resentments are building explosively as they did before the 1992 riots.

Once again, Obama thrills a crowd with platitudes instead of real substance. Is he really saying that, unless he's elected, there will be riots in the streets? How very French of you, Senator. If that's the case, then I'd really love to know what Obama has in mind to prevent this upheaval.

According to him, an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair in the black community is threatening to bring things to a boil (I'm assuming the black community. Obama never comes out and says that, but the suggestion is pretty clear).

And now, it's time for another Barack Obama Allegory of Sweetness and Light:

Obama noted that during the [Los Angeles] riots, a bullet pierced the abdomen of a pregnant woman and lodged in the elbow of her fetus. The baby was delivered by caesarian section, the bullet was removed and the child, Jessica Glennis Evers-Jones, has only a small scar on her arm to show for it.

Using the incident as a metaphor, Obama said society's problems are worsening because "in too many places across the country, we have not even bothered to take the bullet out."

For a minute, I thought Obama was going to say that he was the child, and that's why he has such an understanding of the situation. Then I remembered we've already heard his miraculous birth story.

So, what's Obama's solution for diffusing this impending eruption?

Repeatedly, with evangelical zeal, he raised issues that roused the crowd: increasing the minimum wage and teacher pay, funding for public schools and college financial aid for the poor, ending predatory lending and expediting the reconstruction of New Orleans and the Mississippi coast.

God, that's their solution for everything.

20 Loopholes In The Senate Immigration Bill

I saw this earlier on Michelle Malkin's site. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has posted 20 loopholes in the Amnesty Bill currently being debated in the Senate. All I can say is, what the hell are these people thinking?

Amnesty benefits do not wait for the “enforcement trigger.” After filing an application and waiting 24 hours, illegal aliens will receive full “probationary benefits,” complete with the ability to legally live and work in the U.S., travel outside of the U.S. and return, and their own social security card. Astonishingly, if the trigger is never met and amnesty applications are therefore never “approved,” the probationary benefits granted to the illegal alien population never expire, and the new social security cards issued to the illegal alien population are not revoked.

Legal status must be granted to illegal aliens 24 hours after they file an application, even if the aliens have not yet “passed all appropriate background checks.”

Instead of ensuring that members of violent gangs such as MS 13 are deported after coming out of the shadows to apply for amnesty, the bill will allow violent gang members to get amnesty as long as they “renounce” their gang membership on their application.

Read the entire list. Unbelievable!

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

A great post by James Lewis at The American Thinker perfectly captures the flaw in the administration's thinking on the Amnesty Bill:

So President Bush and Karl Rove have opted for a desperate gamble. They are betting that immigrants can be assimilated, and that the GOP will get its share of their votes. But with the attitude of "Su casa es mi casa," impoverished people from Mexico and elsewhere, indoctrinated in an entitlement mentality, are not likely to become self-sustaining American citizens in large numbers. Why should they, when the welfare state beckons with goodies as long as they vote Democrat?

Read the whole thing - it's spot on.

Divisive

So, there was another Democratic debate tonight. No big surprises, mainly just more handwringing over Iraq. There was one particular question which interested me:

To a question on whether English should be the official language in the United States, only former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel raised his hand in the affirmative.

But Obama protested the question itself, calling it “the kind of question that was designed precisely to divide us.” He said such questions “do a disservice to the American people.”

Sure, because it's always so divisive to mention any attempt to promote even a semblance of national identity. For Obama, the question isn't whether immigrants will learn English - he takes it on faith that they will. For him, the question is about coming up with a "legal, sensible immigration policy".

For someone who's supposed to be so smart, Obama's clueless when it comes to this issue. First of all, we've made it too easy in this country to get by without a strong grasp of English. Press "1" for English, anyone?. Believe me, there's a difference between being able to get by in an English environment and knowing the language well enough to get ahead. Without strong incentives to gain real competence with the language, future immigrants will never be able to prosper in a society as competitive as ours. Unless, of course, the most we ever want for these people is to cut our lawns and paint our houses. If anything, a language competency requirement should be alogical part of a "sensible immigration policy".

I hate to say it, but at least Hillary had a reasonable argument against English as our official language - it would preclude accomodating non-English speakers by mandating translators in hospitals and government offices and printing voting ballots in multiple languages.

Yeah, I said it was reasonable, I didn't say I agreed with it. In order to vote, one has to be a citizen (at least for now). So, how does someone become a U.S. citizen without learning enough English to read a ballot? How the hell do they even understand the issues they're voting on if they don't speak the language?

Hell yeah, that's exactly the kind of "informed" electorate I want helping to shape the course of this country.

Thousands Rally In Support Of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela

Only after they were paid and/or forced to attend by the government.

I guess Hugo was bummed about all of his citizens protesting his decision to shut down a popular independent TV station. See, that's the good thing about being ruled by a dictator - you've just got to love him...or else! From Fox News' Adam Housley, who's in Caracas covering the protests:

I see all sorts of government vans and trucks, with paintings on the side with sayings like "Socialism or Die." There are pictures of Chavez and Che everywhere. Most people are wearing red shirts with the logo of their government employer.

There are busses everywhere and some have been taken to a place across the city, as if to hide the fact that most people here were bussed and given a free shirt, hat and lunch. I am also told by several here that they were paid 50,000 bolívar's to attend. That's roughly 25 dollars plus a free lunch, not a bad day for many that were brought here free from the countryside.

EXTRA: Hot Air has video of Adam Housley calling former Black Panther and current NY City Councilman Charles Barron a "son of a bitch". As a good little liberal, Barron dismisses Adam's reporting for Fox News as one-sided. He accuses Housley of cherrypicking a single anti-Chavez protestor when there are thousands of pro-Chavez protestors he could interview. Housley angrily defends his reportage, saying they've covered all of the protests, including the pro-Chavez one's (he also claims they were threatened at those) and accuses Barron of not being informed on the issue. He goes on to encourage Barron to watch Fox News and see the whole story for himself. Barron then gives us the quote of the day, "I don't have time to sit at home and watch T.V., I'm an activist."

Whatever.

All Hail Fred Thompson

Just the thing to wash the taste of Betrayer-In-Chief Bush out of my mouth! Fred Thompson formed a Presidential Campaign Committee, bringing himself one step closer to officially entering the race.

The "testing the waters" committee allows Thompson—a former Tennessee senator and actor best known for his film and television roles, including as a prosecutor on NBC's "Law & Order"—to raise money, hire staff and gauge support without officially committing to a White House bid and without having to publicly disclose donations or expenditures.

Frankly, I'm loving this. McCain and Romney just don't excite me, and Giuliani has lost a lot of his appeal with me. I've long thought Thompson would be the ideal "Reaganesque" candidate, which is something the party could use right now. I'll explore his positions on the issues more closely once (if) he officially enters, but I like what I'm hearing so far:



I'm cool with Fred's positions on gun control, immigration, and Iraq (in general). I'm pro-choice, but I agree that Roe v. Wade was bad law. I disagree with his gay marriage position; I'm sorry, but I can't condone denying certain American citizens a basic right like marriage.

I hate to be one of those "single issue" voters, but for me, the deciding factor for any candidate will be his stand on illegal immigration. Like I said, I like what Fred's saying so far:



Unless something major happens (like fred deciding not to run), I think I've found my candidate.

The Backlash Begins

Yesterday, I announced that, after 6 loooong years, George W. Bush is dead to me. The final straw - Bush's turning on Republicans over their criticism of the Amnesty Bill.

Seems like I'm not alone.

LaShawn Barber say's "It's Official - Bush is an idiot":

And I voted for him. Twice. I voted for Clinton twice, too, but I’m more ashamed of voting for Bush.

Ouch.

Peggy Noonan has a great piece at WSJ Online. She's telling the truth, and the truth sucks:

Leading Democrats often think their base is slightly mad but at least their heart is in the right place. This White House thinks its base is stupid and that its heart is in the wrong place.

Hot Air is encouraging people to express their opposition to the Amnesty bill through some very special "donations":

Enough is enough. You can help stop amnesty in its tracks. Send cero pesos to the RNC and DNC headquarters. Include a note protesting both parties’ pandering. Note that open borders create an unacceptable national security problem. Be civil, but firm. Tell them to pare amnistia ahora–stop amnesty now.

Speaking of donations, it seems the RNC is seeing a drop in small-donor donations.

Gee guys, if that's the case, why not hit up you new "base"? I'm sure they'll do the donating Americans don't want to do!

Immigration Reform: This Time, It's Personal

At least it is for George Bush, writes Julie Mason in the Houston Chronicle:

"I feel passionate about the issue. It's something I have felt strongly about ever since I was the governor of Texas," he said.

"Texas is a very diverse state, Houston is a very diverse city, and through that diversity, if you're open-minded, you get a great sense of how it invigorates the society," said Bush, a Houston resident in the 1960s and '70s.

Growing up in Texas, Bush said, "you recognize the decency and hard work and humanity of Hispanics. And the truth of the matter is a lot of this immigration debate is driven as a result of Latinos being in our country."

Or to be more specific, an unhappiness about Latinos being in the country. Bush, for the first time, is putting opponents on notice that he's going to call them out on their xenophobia if he needs to. In last year's failed effort at passing immigration reform, he never went that far.

Again with the name calling! George, can I make it any simpler for you? It's not immigration we're opposed to, it's illegal immigration! It's about hating the idea of rewarding lawbreakers with one of the greatest privileges of all - U.S. citizenship, and all that includes.

Speaking as someone who wouldn't even be in this country if not for immigration, I can assure you I am neither xenophobic or anti-immigrant. What I am is American, and I'm sicked at how easy it is for some to just...give that away.

"People shouldn't fear our capacity to uphold our motto, E Pluribus Unum," Bush said.

Screw you, George! You'll never convince me that all these "manys" will somehow assimilate into one cohesive "one".

Immigra-ting on My Nerves

I never thought I'd ever say this. I never thought it would come to this, but it has.

George W. Bush, you are dead to me.

I voted for you twice. I've supported you in the Iraq War, even after it became apparent you weren't doing what you needed to do to win. I held my tongue during Harriet Miers and Dubai Ports; I turned a blind eye to all of the shitty little missteps your administration for which your administration has become famous.

The immigration bill, however, is the last straw. Your reckless and ill-conceived support for what is nothing less than amnesty cannot be tolerated.

To make matters worse, you would dare to turn on those who disagree with you on this issue, after everything else we've gone through for you?

FYI George, it's not about "racism" or "bigotry" or "xenaphobia" or "fear". It's about having some regard for what makes this country unique, special...the kind of place that millions of people want to come to. It's about doing what we need to do to preserve our inherent "Americaness", and not see that destroyed by a bunch of people who don't give a shit about what this country is, but only for what they can get from it.

It's about protecting our way of life. You know, that way of life you're always going on about whenever the Islamos get twitchy. Some of us still care about that. It'd be nice if you still did.

No more. I'm done with you. I'm sorry to say your administration may result in our party having to wander the wilderness for a while. Hopefully, our exile will not be too long.

A Soldier Responds

This is really something. A commenter responding to Andrew Arkin's insulting little diatribe at the Washington Post brings it home with this post. It's long, but defintely worth it.

Mr. Arkin-

I am an officer in the United States Army. I have deployed to Iraq twice, and been wounded once. I have had my soldiers killed and wounded, I have killed and wounded other human beings. I have carried wounded soldiers and civilians in my arms; crying in pain. I myself am permanently physically damaged by my experience.

Through all those events, I never shed a tear. Yet I sit here today crying; reading your original article and your rebuttal to the overwhelming response.

I am proud of what I do, what my soldiers do, the freedoms we defend, and everything we stand for. I proudly defend your right to publish your article, and it actually warms my soul to see free debate and discourse about any topic, because this is the only nation in the world where such completely unbridled discussion and opinion rage on in an organized fashion. That is the United States I am proud of, the one that has given me so much.

I decry and am ashamed of my fellow warriors who have lost their thin veneer of civilization and chosen to engage in the atrocities committed in Iraq. May God have mercy on their souls.
I have chosen to shelve my right to have an opinion on the war in Iraq. I support our effort to help the Iraqi people, depose Saddam, and promote a free(er) Iraq. Are we (or can we) still doing that? I don't know anymore. I have an opinion, but it is too visceral to be truly rational anymore, so I keep it to myself.

Overall, it does not matter. My country, almost unanimously, asked me to refresh the tree with my blood in Iraq/Afghanistan 6 years ago. That was this country, by referendum. As my country comes to terms with what she has done, and possibly chooses a different path, I will soldier on. I will guide and inspire my Soldiers to do the same. But, it saddens me to see so many of my brothers and sisters killed and maimed, only to find out my country either didn't mean it or had no stomach for it.

None of these are the reasons I cry. I cry for the lack of purpose, the apparent lack of caring, the lack of compassion you displayed in your original article and in this subsequent failure to apologize to me, my fellow warriors, and all those who came before me. Here's why.

1. I am not a mercenary. You could make me work two jobs and this would still be one of them, because I am that passionate about defending you and your rights. Many in the National Guard and Reserves do just that. My country needs professional warriors to do her bidding, and he is me, and thousands like me.

2. I have the right to express my opinion within the bounds of the UCMJ, as do my Soldiers. How dare you imply that I do not, or that I should reprimand them? We already accept an abbreviated set of rights willingly. Do not attempt limit my liberties that I have already willingly limited while I defend without complaint the unabridged version you are so rightly entitled to.

3. As an officer, my needs are met. However, in the three months leading up to my first deployment and the entire 13 month adventure, my pay amounted to 173 cents an hour. My friends and I logged our hours as a joke, but $1.73 is the reality. That equates to 19-20 hour days, 7 days a week, for 16 months. That's with the relatively lavish bonuses and benefits we receive while deployed. And I am an officer. Think of our junior enlisted, and find someone else in our great country that is willing to work so hard, day and night, no weekends, under fire, threat of death over their head, for so little? Find me one and I will retract this comment graciously. Of course, even when not deployed, it takes my wife and me quite some time to get through the line at the grocery store. That's because we get in line behind one of my fellow warriors, who with shame in their eyes and faces flush with embarrassment fill out their WIC paperwork because they don't make enough to support their wife and two kids (an average sized family).

4. This response is taking an inordinate amount of time to type, because I have only one functioning hand after being wounded in Iraq. I am trying as quickly as possible to use the medical system your (and my) taxes paid for to recover, so I can go back to Iraq and continue to fight for what you don't believe in, because I believe in you and my Soldiers. Still, I count myself lucky, as I received my Purple Heart next to a 19-year old warrior with both his legs amputated above the knee. No matter how wrong the majority feels the decision was at this juncture, that Soldier gave (I use the word gave deliberately) his legs at his nation's calling. Not for money. Not because he was too stupid to get into college. Not for the great benefits. Just because you asked him to. Please don't imply that this fallen hero is not entitled to the basic medical care he receives.

5. Given the opportunity, I would fight the Germans in 1944. Oh, to have that definition of purpose, that sense of righteousness! But, that is not to be. This is the war that this country has chosen for me, my peers, and my Soldiers. With its vagueness, dirtiness, ambiguity, undefined enemy, amorphous center of gravity, and undefined purpose. The actions of our administration, the decisions higher-echelons of our military, the blunders of the CPA, (I could go on) etc. aside; it comes back to one thing. America chose this fight for me, and I will fight it with all my skill and might until she tells me to stop. The woes and throes of the majority, hawks, doves, liberals, neocons, etc. mean nothing to me or those Soldiers you quoted. What matters to us is that you told us to be there, 3000+ of our brothers and sisters have died there, and we are still there. Change that - in reality, not in the abstract - and we will gladly leave and prepare ourselves for the next challenge and opportunity to defend your freedoms.

I am a Warrior, a Soldier, a Scholar, and a Patriot. This country has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to train and educate me. I am well-versed in our government, our demographics, our history, and our Constitution. Perhaps I am an idealist. To the end of my life or capability I will defend your rights and this country. I am proud that I live in a country where a free-thinker such as you can write an article so critical of current policy. But I am deeply hurt by the insinuations and accusations listed above. I request an apology, on the behalf of all the Armed Forces, for your insensitive and boorish comments. I only wish I could communicate with your entire readership the bitter taste of betrayal that is in my mouth as easily as you communicate your speech and thoughts.

With Respect,

A United States Army Officer
"Army Strong"

Wow. Just...wow.

Election Night...Not Looking Good

It's about 9:40, and I'm flipping channels between election results on
Fox News and Star Trek:TNG.

Right now, the Dems are 3 Senate seats and 13 House seats from taking it all.

We may end up losing it all.

If so, it'll suck getting up tomorrow.

Cry Havok, And Let Slip The Dogs Of War

At last, The Day is upon us.

In about twelve hours, we'll have a pretty good idea of how this thing will turn out.

Judgement Da - er, I mean - Election Day!

I'm nervous, but hopeful. On some level, I just can't believe the cosmic powers, those that bring order and balance to the Universe, would actually allow the Democrats to win. I mean come on, Speaker Pelosi?!? God, that would be a Hell on earth.

I hope when this is all done, I'll have good cause to revisit this little post.

Once again, Ace of Spades is in my brain:

If the Democrats lose, do you have any doubt they will decide, in their typically-thoughtful Councils of Herd Animals, that John Kerry alone cost them the entire election?

Damn... even if I hated Bush I'd vote Republican just for that.

After the 2002 election disaster for the Democrats (remember? they were counting on big wins then, too) William Kristol said, "And now comes the most enjoyable part of any election season: the recriminations."

Please vote, just so we can have those recriminations.

Do you know what Chris Matthews' tears taste like? I don't, but I've heard stories they taste like gold spun finely into cotton candy. I need to know if those stories are true.

Heh. Amen to that!

I'll be voting tonight after work. Until then, I'll be tracking the excitement all day.

What If They Win

From Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake:

First of all — I don't care if John Kerry was eating live babies on TV, one week out from an election you do not repeat GOP talking points. Ever. It makes you look like a big pussy who can't stand up to the Republicans, even when they're playing from an exceptionally weak hand on an issue you own.

Of course. After all, what's a few babies when we have an election to win?

From the Kosfather himself:

Thats the way you show strength. That's the way you beat back bullies. That's the way you win in America. Not by going around whining about "apologies" and worried that Rove and his Republican bullies might say "boo!"

All you hand-wringers -- grow some cojones or get the frak out of our way.

Somebody botches a joke. Big fucking deal. Laugh at those who would make it an issue, kick them in the shin for good measure, then move on.

Sure, why apologize for a "botched" joke that insulted our troops. BFD! After all, we have an election to win!

All over the blogosphere, lefty blogs are ranting about Kerry having to apologize when he was, in fact, right - the military is overwhelmingly populated by underschooled idiots with damn few options.

You can almost feel their desire to drop the pretenses and just say, "Why are you talking about the troops? We have an election to win!"

At what point do we begin to wonder about the true intentions of people who crave power - crave control - this much?

For the past six years, they've talked about offering us a new course, about returning America to its former glory. But their actions and their attitude convey a different message - it's inconceivable to them that they are not in control, and they simply must do whatever they can to remedy that situation.

As we continue counting down to E-Day, they know the only thing standing between them and the total domination they seek are a few Red State rubes who don't have enough sense to know when they're not being properly governed.

I might have been content in the past to accept the idea of the Democrats taking over Congress; on an intellectual level, one has to understand that is always a possibility. But the world we live in today doesn't inspire me to be that practical. I can't afford to place my trust in a group of people who won't be happy until American is just another bit player on some global stage instead of the lead. Until our society becomes one bizarre, giant hive-mind, programmed to slavishly follow their twisted socialist doctrines.

Am I being paranoid? Would things really be as bad as that? Hell, we're already on our way there, it's just that most people can't or won't see it.

I'm sure at one time the Romans thought they'd last forever. So too the Persians, the Egyptians, the British. That is the way of the world - everything eventually ends.

And that end has to start somewhere.

The Joke, Take 2

MSNBC reports that John Kerry has cancelled most of his campaign appearances in the wake of his comments at the Angelides rally. The article also gives us the joke which Kerry regretfully "misspoke" as an insult to the troops:

A Kerry spokeswoman, Amy Brundage, said Kerry’s prepared text had called for him to say: “Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush.”

Sorry, but I call bullshit. After the reaction his actual comment got, it's way too easy to trot someone out a day later and have them say "this is what the Senator meant to say". Besides, it's still suggesting that the penalty for being dumb is getting elected President.

That certainly doesn't say much for Kerry himself considering his own Presidential ambitions. It sort of makes sense, though. You'd have to be pretty stupid not to be able to get this crappy joke right to begin with.

John Kerry Is A Moron

Honestly, what else is there to say?

While at a Pasadena Community College campaign rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, John Kerry said the following:

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, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.

So, according to Kerry, if you're smart you'll have options in life. If you're not, then joining the military and shipping out to Iraq is pretty much all you have to look forward to. Which I suppose suggests all of our troops currently deployed in Iraq are uneducated losers. Seems pretty clear cut to me. I mean, I can't see how you can read that statement any other way.

Apparently, I'm wrong.

Now, Kerry is saying he botched a joke - that he wasn't insulting the troops, he actualy meant to insult President Bush! What's more, Kerry says Bush knows that's what he meant to do, and to suggest otherwise is more "despicable Republican attacks". The entire statement is chock full of handler-speak, calculated right down to the last period.

The only thing missing, I'm sure, is a finger wagging.

So John Kerry was admonishing a crowd of college students to study hard and do well in school, because the alternative is...becoming President of the United States and initiating hostilities in a foreign country with the support of Congress?!?

Oh, I get it now.

Heh.

Update: Ace of Spades has the same take on Kerry's "stay in school" message. Great minds think alike...except of course Ace actually has a readership while I'm pretty much just talking to myself here.