Kerry Apologizes...Kind Of

"As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop.

I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended.

It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. I don’t want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops." - John Kerry 11/1/06

He apologized for offending our troops, finally. Unlike the lousy "I'm sorry for my botched joke," which leftists think is perfectly acceptable. However as Hot Air contributor Bryan points out,

This looks like another do-over of the apologies that already failed. This statement is neither contrite nor even accurate. It’s yet another attempt to blame the entire problem on his remarks being “misinterpreted,” which means he’s still blaming everyone but himself. Lop off graphs 1 and 3 and lose “misinterpreted” and you have an apology. But as the statement stands, it’s not good enough. Especially given JfK’s unique history.

...Kerry’s clear and obvious smear wasn’t directed at Beltway pundits. It was directed at people who serve now and have served in Iraq, people that many elitists including Kerry sneer at as uneducated cretins, because these elitists either served in the non-volunteer era or didn’t serve at all and don’t have any close connections to anyone who has served in the volunteer force.

...As you know I worked around liberals for years. I know what they think of the military when (they think) no one else is around to hear them. Kerry’s remark expressed that disdain I heard day and in day out for years from so many people. That’s why I know it wasn’t a gaffe or slip of the tongue. It’s what he really thinks. Kerry’s apology blames the victims and then turns into an attack on their CinC. That’s not an apology. Sorry, no sale. And I think those who didn’t serve and haven’t felt the left’s hate for the military directly probably have a harder time understanding just how outrageous this whole thing is.

We'll see.