MSNBC News Services
Updated: 2 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Bowing to pressure from both political parties, Sen. John Kerry issued an apology to U.S. troops on Wednesday after “a botched joke” about President Bush’s Iraq policies that led Bush and fellow Republicans to accuse him of insulting the GIs.
“I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended,” Kerry said in a statement.
Kerry said he mangled the delivery of a line aimed at Bush that he delivered on Monday. According to aides, the language was originally written to say that “if you’re intellectually lazy, you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq — just ask President Bush.”
In his apology on Wednesday, Kerry said, “As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop.”
“It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. I don't want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops.” |