I’m sorry, but I don’t find it creditable. I do find meaning of the original speech fairly straightforward. Plain meaning, context and reason all point towards the view that Kerry was maligning the soldiers.

Now, implying that a lack of education pushes people into the Army isn’t the worst thing in the world- but it is what he said and meant. It’s not an absurd statement either- most people would probably think he’s right- though they’d think it demeaning to point it out (I understand that on the facts, soldiers are not undereducated).

I don’t know if this places me into Derb’s posse or not, but I have to admit that I don’t think John Kerry meant to suggest that if you are uneducated, you end up as a soldier stuck in Iraq. His folks have released what they claim is the original prepared text, and it shows that Kerry was planning to make fun of Bush’s education. It came out wrong. That’s it (assuming you don’t think the prepared text was fabricated after the fact).

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWY1YzAyY2VjZjZhOGQ2ZWQ3YzVhYThjZDMxODgxODk=

I understand why people took what he said badly. I can understand why the initial reaction was harsh, when people thought he said something that he did not mean to say. He should have apologised for giving any impression that he was referring to soldiers, and made it clear what he meant. That’s all fine and understandable, and I agree with people who say that he should have apologised. But I will rapidly lose patience with people who continue to chant that he was insulting the soldiers. Not because I care whether John Kerry lives or dies (I don’t), but because it is now clearly and manifestly untrue that this is what he was trying to do.

Moreover, Kerry’s point as actually delivered makes more sense- work hard so you have opportunities and you don’t have to join the yokels in Iraq. How much sense does it make to be saying “Work hard so you don’t become President of the United States and foolishly get the country stuck in an unwinnable war?”

And, they haven’t released his prepared speech. Why? Because either the line was in there more or less as delivered, or (far more likely) Kerry just spoke extemporaneously.

Freudian slip, tin ear, or both, it sure doesn’t inspire confidence.

This is a classic case where a public figure said what he actually thought for a moment, and has been caught out on it.