Informed Speculation

Oh, I know, it’s hardly fair; the man should be retired from the category for general jackassedness.  Nevertheless, Kerry once again stood out this year.

With the Democrats in control and sailing into the 2006 election with a full tail wind born of an unpopular war and an old-fashioned sex scandal, out pops Mr. Pomposity with a comment that, his repeated attempts at explanation aside, clearly insulted our troops.  Never a popular move on the eve of a major election.

Then, with the resulting outcry at a fever pitch, Kerry compounded the mistake by refusing to apologize, and putting on a tough-guy “I won’t be Swift Boated again” act.  It took a major dressing down by fellow Democratics before Kerry put his tail between his legs and admitted his ‘botched joke’ may have been taken the wrong way (though, contrary to popular belief, he never apologized for the words, instead adopting the classic non-apology stance ”I’m sorry you’re too stupid to have interpreted my comments correctly”).

We know now that the Democratic juggernaut was too strong in 2006 to be derailed, but for several crucial days, Kerry lifted the hopes of Republicans everywhere, and gave more than one Democratic consultant a major case of heartburn.

Unfortunately, the fallout was so severe that Kerry is likely to drop his presidential bid for 2008, which is a real downer for Republican bloggers, who sorely need the material…