Kerry is in Seattle for a fundraiser for Sen. Maria Cantwell. Tonight, her opponent, Mike McGavick, issued this statement:
“I’ll go ahead and make this crystal clear since Sen. Kerry didn’t. Senator Kerry owes our forces an apology, and Washingtonians deserve a comment from their incumbent senator, Maria Cantwell.
“Instead of simply apologizing today, Sen. Kerry chose to defend his comment as a botched joke and then proceeded to raise money for Sen. Cantwell. Who in their right mind makes a joke about our forces in Iraq?
“Sen. Cantwell is Sen. Kerry’s host in our state. She has evaded comment time and time again in this campaign. Not this time. Senator Cantwell owes Washington’s veterans and soldiers an explanation. She has taken Sen. Kerry’s money. Does she also accept his comments?”
Meanwhile, the NRSC has released a statement welcoming Kerry to Pennsylvania tomorrow:
“Bob Casey, Jr. is set to roll out the red carpet for John Kerry in Philadelphia,” said Dan Ronayne, NRSC Spokesman. “Does Casey, Jr. have the spine to stand up for our troops? Kerry’s comments are beyond the limits of acceptability, and Bob Casey, Jr. has a responsibility to condemn them–not take the money Kerry raises for him.”
And now, of course, Democrats, who might have to defend Kerry in public, are appalled at the way he has injected himself into the campaign. From their point of view, is there any doubt that his political instincts are always wrong? He made a mistake in 2004 by not responding earlier to the Swift Boat Veterans. And now, he has misapplied the lesson of ‘04 by over-responding to the controversy caused by his “you get stuck in Iraq” statement. The incident will follow him on the campaign trail for at least another day, and, at least once, Democratic candidates everywhere will have to address the Kerry Question. If you were looking for a Democratic candidate to support in 2008, would there be any doubt about who you would not choose?