John Kerry is a dumbass.

I know I'm a little late in getting to this topic--wait, I am a little late in getting to this latest example of why John Kerry is a dumbass. For those who are new to this blog, I am no fan of John Kerry (read A few post-election thoughts).

Anyhoo, on Monday John Kerry said the following to a group of college students in California: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

Naturally, the Republicans jumped all over this as being an insult to our troops.

Taken alone, the above statement from Kerry could be reasonably interpreted as an insult to the troops.

When viewed in the context of the rest of Kerry's statements at this event, it can be seen that Kerry's quote was not intended as an insult to the troops but as an insult to George W. Bush. Such context was explained in Keith Olbermann's special comment on November 1. While I agree with almost everything Olbermann said, and while just about everything Olbermann said is true, that does not change the fact that Kerry is a dumbass. But I digress...back to the context of Kerry's comments. Before he said anything about education and getting stuck in Iraq, Kerry said that he had just been in Texas and that Bush no longer lives there but now lives in the state of denial. Olbermann asserted that "The context was unmistakable: Texas; the state of denial; stuck in Iraq. No interpretation required." In other words, the only possible interpretation of Kerry's "stuck in Iraq" crack was that he was calling Bush stupid. While I agree that this was Kerry's intended meaning, I cannot agree with Olbermann that this is the only possible interpretation. And that brings me to Kerry's explanation for his comments.

Kerry has claimed that he simply botched a joke. He botched it because he left out a supposedly crucial part. As reported by Rueters:

Sen. Kerry's office said later the Massachusetts Democrat had misread his prepared remarks that included the words "Just ask President Bush," which he omitted.

*******

Mr Kerry's office released his prepared remarks, which said, "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."

I have news for Kerry: that explanation is worthless and weak. Even if he had delivered the joke properly, such delivery only would have made it clear that he was insulting Bush. What would not have been clear is that the insult was limited only to Bush. Stated differently, even if he had not botched the joke, his statement about not doing well in the education system and getting stuck in Iraq still could have been interpreted as an insult to the troops.

Here's another news flash for John Kerry: you are not funny and you don't know the first thing about comedy. A good rule in joke telling is that if you have to explain the joke, it likely is not funny. Kerry's "joke"--even when viewed in light of what he left out--requires some explanation. John Kerry should quit trying to tell jokes. Leave the intentional comedy to the professionals. As soon as I heard about Kerry's remarks, I immediately recalled some lines from Lewis Black's latest HBO special, "Red, White & Screwed." Here's what he said about Kerry: "How did you Democrats find Kerry? What's the matter with you people? Did you not listen to him speak?"

Was Kerry's comment about getting stuck in Iraq intended as an insult to the troops? No. Have the Republicans intentionally twisted Kerry's words and overblown the whole situation? Absolutely. And yet I am not going to defend John Kerry at all.

And here's why...

1. As Keith Olbermann said, Kerry was rightfully calling Bush out on all his botched Iraq policy, but "He did it two years too late."
2. Anyone who could not recognize that statements such as Kerry's could imply that our troops were not successful in the education system is clueless and should not be allowed to give public speeches.
3. Anyone who would deliver such comments as those made by Kerry and not make it perfectly clear that the insult was directed only at Bush is clueless and should not be allowed to give public speeches.
4. Anyone is supposedly a leader of a political party who is out campaigning for his party's candidates and is in the national spotlight should know points 2 and 3.

That last point is really the most important to me. Here we have an election in which so much is going wrong for the GOP, and the Democrats are building momentum which could very well result in Dem majorities in both Houses of Congress. However, the race is still very much up in the air. Any slip by the Democrats could stall that momentum. The Republicans have been desparately seeking something, anything with which to attack the Democrats--and John Kerry served it up on a silver platter eight days before the election. John Kerry provided the Republicans with something to distract the voting public from all the other issues for which they have no effective responses. John Kerry put Democrats in a position of having to deal with this bullshit instead of staying focused on other issues.

And that is another reason why John Kerry is a dumbass.

And Kerry wants to run for President in 2008.

Listen up, Kerry. You had your your chance in 2004, and you blew it. Your most recent actions are further examples of why you do not deserve another chance at the White House.

For any Democrats who think I am being some sort of turncoat and Republicans who might be taking glee in this post, cool your jets, for a subsequent post is going to be about how the GOP reaction to Kerry's comments is a bunch of hypocritical crap.