Again with the Lileks:
I understand how some are using the gaffe to draw attention to a greater point re: the hard left’s attitudes towards the military, but if that wasn’t actually the point Kerry was making then I can’t jump on board and affirm the greater point. That smacks of fake-but-accurate.
He has a point, and we'll leave it at that. And just wait and see what happens next week.
Last night I asked my husband if part of being a grown-up means getting an ulcer every two years. I can see why less than half the country cares about voting: it's entirely too stressful to pay attention. Even when your personal choice is a no-brainer (dude, I vote in Missouri), watching the rest of it unfold is torture.
Posted by Sarah at November 2, 2006 09:46 AM | TrackBackSo, you are on board with giving someone, Kerry, the benefit of the doubt regarding NOT being anti-military. That’s not fake-but-accurate equivalence, that’s just ignorance.
Sorry, still like your blog.
No, I truly believe Kerry has utter contempt for the military. But Lileks is right that if he really did mean it to be a joke on Bush, then it's fake-but-accurate to say that this particular instance is a manifestation of his contempt. I have no idea what he meant to say or what's just spin to cover his ass. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that I can't stand the man and think he's a pompous fool. I simply was posting Lilek's observation because I think it's an astute one.
Posted by: Sarah at November 2, 2006 12:56 PMOK, gotch’a, we’re cool.
That aside, in my humble personal opinion I believe he said EXACTLY what he meant to say considering the tainted history of the man, the context versus where he was speaking, the supposed joke that really doesn’t work, etc, etc… (No need to rehash it all).
I tend to believe that Charles Johnson had it right when he said "Two words: Occam's Razor." It seems likely he thought the joke would go over well for his audience & didn't expect it to be blasted on YouTube. So he's backtracking. By all means, I think something like that certainly could've come out of that man's mouth. But some people honestly heard the joke and thought he meant Bush from the get-go. So who knows? More disgusting, I think, is this stuff from ABC News, where they're basically defending Kerry, saying that he's right that stupid people join the military. Sigh.
Posted by: Sarah at November 3, 2006 10:45 AM