The Virginian Pilot and John Kerry

The Pilot finally got around to John Kerry’s slur of the troops in Iraq.

If you have been hiding under a rock, or depend on the Pilot for your information, you would have missed the remarks Kerry made to students in a California college:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Today, thanks to covering fire from some leading Democrats, readers of the Pilot learn about the Kerry statement, on the front page, below the fold. The top story, by the way is about falling new home sales.

The headline of the story “Kerry apologizes for remarks about U.S. troops in Iraq” provides the puzzled reader of the Pilot no context since the front page does not have Kerry’s famous quote. The quote shows up on page A9, with a file picture of Kerry and an excuse. The Pilot quotes Kerry’s remark and right below it gives a much longer “quotation” citing unidentified “prepared remarks” which provides a totally different slant, making his remarks an attack on President Bush by attacking his intelligence.

Given the fact that Bush got better grades than Kerry in college and is reported to has a higher IQ, it's a dubious comment for Kerry to make.

I am, frankly, dubious about the Pilot’s “prepared remarks” because first, he did not say them, second, the firestorm that his remarks created have now generated two intemperate and rather savage public attacks on Republicans for having created this controversy followed by a limp “apology” on his web site: “I personally apologize to any family member or American who was offended.”

I have no doubt that Kerry has supplied the lapdog media “notes” that change the meaning of his remarks, conveniently backdated.

Why do I believe that Kerry meant every word of what he said? Because it fits a pattern. This is far from the first time Kerry has attacked American troops. His infamous testimony to congress during the Viet Nam war about raping, murderous soldiers acting like Genghis Khan was the beginning of his personal and despicable attacks on the honor and sacrifice of American soldiers. And during the current conflict he joined other Democrats in denouncing the troops for invading Iraqi homes at night and terrorizing the inhabitants.

I will have more to say on this subject and will provide appropriate links when time permits. For now, the Pilot has done what it does best, provide the "news" with a Democrat slant and several days late.