... and cringes. He's got a collection of 8 thoughts pertaining to Mr. Kerry's flub, self-righteous anger, admission of flub, and ultimate denial-of-responsibility apology that are spot on. A notable one is #4:
(4) This is not the first, but third, time he has denigrated soldiers in the middle of a war-and there is a systematic theme: John Kerry's assumed superior morality allows him to pass judgment from on high about supposedly lesser folk who become tools of a suspect military: thus we go from limb-loppers and Genghis' hordes to terrorists to dead-beats. The only constant is that the haughtiness is always delivered in the same sanctimonious, self-righteous, and patronizing tone.
And that, indeed, is Mr. Kerry's main problem, the haughty arrogance. His primary flaw is a mistaken belief that his thoughts and musings are deep and significant simply because they are his. His speeches, when viewed as theater, demonstrate that haughtiness. One of the reasons he's repeatedly kicked himself since November '04 for not responding strongly to the charges of the Swift Boat Vets, I believe, is that since he considers himself far above those attacking his record it was inconceivable to him that others would believe the charges over his own explanations.
But public opinion in democratic America does not turn on the "royalty," the importance, of the person making the assertion, but on the strength of the argument and the facts that back it up. Thus when the Swift Boat Vets presented their collection of facts and Mr. Kerry and his team failed to refute or adequately defend against them (by, say, releasing the relevant records if they were exculpatory) then the only available facts - those of the prosecution - had weight.
Mr. Kerry should know by now. The ability to speak French does not make one Rousseau or Sartre. Being a Senator and former presidential candidate does not automatically grant you the benefit of the doubt when you stick your foot in it as badly as you did on Monday.
11/1/06 2200: Joe Fitzgerald in the Boston Herald writes that this is all par for the course for the Bay State's junior senator.
The only one who screwed up here was Kerry, who’d be well-advised to do the right thing and admit it.
Humility, however, is not his strong suit.
So when he subsequently realized the implications of trashing our troops, he reverted to form and lashed out at his critics, blaming them for wounds that were self-inflicted.
11/1/06 2240: Jay Tea looked at Sen. Kerry's 'apology' and finds it lacking.
Kerry is an ass. He is a pompous, narcissistic, fraudulent gigolo who's done exactly one worthwhile thing in the last 35 years. On the other hand, he's managed to marry not one, but two extremely wealthy women and parlay their wealth into a hightly successful political career.
[...]
The real John Kerrey was revealed in the way he handled the consequences of that mistake. It reaffirmed his vanity, his narcissism, and his utter unsuitability for holding high office.
Once again, I am horrified that this man came that close to being elected president of the United States.
You and me both, pal.
11/1/06 2250: Rick Moran is accepting the apology, but notes that Sherrod Brown is still hitching his wagon to the on-the-lam Massachusetts Senator. Suddenly, Mike Dewine may have a chance.
11/1/06 2305: One more. Bryan Preston dug up a number of sentiments quite similar to Senator Kerry's "botched joke" on left blogosphere sites. Have a look.
