How Much Play Should The Press Give The Kerry Gaffe?

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Mega-Media Trends

(AP)

Well, oops. With just one week left until the midterm elections, John Kerry has given the White House something to talk about other than its unpopular war and those pesky Congressional scandals. As you have no doubt heard by now, Kerry said this to a group of students: "If you make the most of it and you study hard and 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." The White House, surely elated to have such a gift fall in its lap, immediately pounced. "The senator's suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and shameful," said President Bush. "The members of the U.S. military are plenty smart and plenty brave and the senator from Massachusetts owes them an apology."

Kerry insists his comments weren't an insult – just a botched joke. (He says he left out the word "us" – as in "If you don't you get us stuck in Iraq.") He maintains that he was talking about the president and his administration, not the troops. And, he says, the White House knows as much and are exploiting the situation anyway. Kerry also had some criticism for the press. "This is Swift Boat stuff all over again," he said this morning on "Imus." "Somebody says something, and they get excited and they love and have fun, because oh boy, isn't this good, you've got a controversy. But look behind the controversy. The controversy is based on a lie."

Which raises the question – should it be getting the coverage it is? The story is dominating the 24 hour cable networks and the blogs. It led all three network newscasts last night, and all three morning shows today. The New York Daily News put "Kerry Kalamity" in its cover. All this over a missing "us?" That isn't to say that the press should be ignoring the controversy – thanks to the White House's reaction to Kerry's comments, this is a legitimate, if small, political story. But isn't that about it?

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by nana160 November 4, 2006 10:08 AM EST: Re: Mattcat25: ""There were no weapons of Mass Destruction"" Have you read the NY Times lately, you may have to eat those words!!; Reply to this comment


by rh_hall1 November 3, 2006 1:32 AM EST: STUCK IN IRAQ

John Kerry is being bashed because he blew a
punch line.

When he made that joke, he was trying to make the
following point: Because George Bush failed to
do his homework, we are now stuck in Iraq. He
was not trying to insult the intelligence of our
troops.

Instead of bashing Kerry for a botched joke,
perhaps we should be asking the question: Did
George Bush do his homework?

Bush under estimated the terrorist threat in
Iraq, despite the fact that he went there to
fight terrorism. He under estimated the threat
of sectarian violence, despite the fact that Iraq
is composed of three ethnic groups who dislike
each other. And he under estimated the number of
troops needed in Iraq, ignoring the advice of a
number of his top military people. As a result,
there was no adequate plan to win the peace in
Iraq, and no adequate means to secure that peace.

Apparently, George Bush failed to do his homework.

Perhaps, George Bush should apologize to our
troops for that failure. They are paying a heavy
price because of it.

And so is our nation.

This issue boils down to the following: "botched
joke by John Kerry" versus "botched policy in
Iraq by George Bush".

And one last thought. If George Bush failed to
do his homework on Iraq, did he fail to do his
homework on how to combat the terrorist threat?; Reply to this comment


by rh_hall1 November 3, 2006 1:25 AM EST: OUR TROOPS UNDER ATTACK

Our troops in Iraq are under heavy attack. They
are being attacked by Iraqi terrorists. And, they
are being attacked by American politicians
... politicians from both parties.

A top Democrat, John Kerry, makes a joke implying
that our troops are not very smart.

And, a top Republican, John Boehner, blames our
generals for our problems in Iraq, implying that
our generals are not very smart.

Kerry apologized for his joke, and explained that
he botched a joke aimed at George Bush.

Boehner has refused to apologize for his
accusation.

I feel sorry for our generals. The big boss
under estimated the terrorist threat in Iraq,
under estimated the threat of sectarian
violence in Iraq, and then failed to send them
enough help. And then they get the blame for the
inevitable problems caused by the big boss's
mistakes.

And, I feel sorry for our troops. They are
paying a heavy price for the big boss's mistakes.; Reply to this comment


by joycewest November 2, 2006 12:21 PM EST: A controversy based on a lie, as Kerry called it, is still a controversy. In this case, the news isn't about what was said, but the reaction to it. Kerry stepped into a minefield by attempting a joke based on delicate issues of class, privilege and education. The story deserves coverage because Kerry's remarks raised hackles of Republicans and made Democrats shun him. Is the coverage well done? It's a sound-byte story that can be used either to inflame passions or to start thoughtful debate about the war, and it's up to each person, journalist or otherwise, to decide which it will be.; Reply to this comment


by russmc1 November 2, 2006 11:58 AM EST: I absolutely 100% TRUELY BELIEVE that Kerry meant to say what he said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He walked out of Vietnam on the backs of dead men and took the credit.; Reply to this comment


by emhawks November 2, 2006 5:33 AM EST: Kerry mangled a one -liner in an election year speech & apologized for it. Meanwhile, Bush & Cheney continue on with their lies, cheating, hypocrasy, indifference, greed & blatant plundering of our great country & of its' citizens with their hands stained with the blood of 2800 American servicemen/women (& many innocent Iraqi people) who have died in a useless war that is being waged only for oil, money & power.; Reply to this comment


by sanfelz November 1, 2006 11:42 PM EST: Bush can make two jokes in one day. Like: "Mission Accomplished" and "The hostilities are over and the US had prevailed". These go with his knee-slappers about WMDs.
The RNC will concentrate on Kerry and run racist ads rather than confront failed policies. No wonder that many Republican candidates are not mentioning Bush and not even acknowledging they are Republicans.; Reply to this comment


by memekiller November 1, 2006 11:13 PM EST: Someone sicked the dogs on you today. Just to give you an idea of how morally bankrupt the conservative movement has become, I'm willing to bet that not one of the commentors here actually believes that Kerry meant to say a soldier is an idiot if they're serving in Iraq. Sheer pragmatism would forbid such nonsense. Yet they all know they must push this falsehood because it's not about what's true, but what wins. The purpose is not to attack wrongs, but simply to attack by any means available.

And we wonder how the Republican Party has become so divorced from reality. Clearly, it's because the followers are not empiricists, but cultists followers who will spout any nonsense for the cause -- and have a compliant media willing to do the heavy lifting.; Reply to this comment


by russmc1 November 1, 2006 9:48 PM EST: The Ameican people may not like the war but they love the soldier.......Kerry stepped on very unfamiliar turf.; Reply to this comment


by mintmilano November 1, 2006 9:46 PM EST: Bush brutally misspeaks on a daily basis and nobody bats an eyelash; Kerry misses a word in a line he has used before, and it's a major story ?

That's a massive double standard. It's a good thing for Bush nobody expects him to sound fluent in English, and unfortunate for Kerry that everyone expects flawless delivery, despite him having always been regarded as an awkward campaigner.

If the press treated Republicans the way they treat Kerry and Al Gore, well... I don't know, it's too hard to imagine, because they would never do that.; Reply to this comment