Headline Washington Times: Kerry camp demands apology for quip

After months of nothing but praise for John Kerry’s Vietnam War service, President Bush’s campaign spokesman publicly made light of it, drawing a stern response yesterday from Democrats who called the remarks an insult to all veterans….

Mr. Kerry’s campaign was outraged, and demanded an apology.
“What Terry Holt said last night was an intentional effort to diminish John Kerry’s military service,” Kerry campaign chairwoman Jeanne Shaheen said. “Not only was it wrong, it shows a fundamental disrespect for the service and sacrifice veterans of military combat duty have given our country.”
Both the Democratic National Committee and veterans supporting Mr. Kerry, in a statement issued by the Kerry campaign, called the comments an attack on veterans and troops serving today.

“No one who serves in this country’s military — not John Kerry, nor the men and women serving in Iraq today — should ever have their patriotism or their courage questioned by one of George W. Bush’s political agents,” DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe said.

What was this terrible insult to all veterans? Did he say that all veteran’s mothers wear combat boots? Prepare yourself, because it is MUCH WORSE THAN THAT.

Terry Holt, appearing on MSNBC’s “Hardball” program Tuesday, was being pummeled by questions from host Chris Matthews about why, if Mr. Bush supported the Vietnam War, he didn’t join up and fight.

After repeatedly answering that Mr. Bush served as a fighter pilot in the National Guard, Mr. Holt then changed the subject to Mr. Kerry: “In John Kerry’s case, he went to Vietnam. He took his own photo camera, by the way, so he could get some good pictures.”

That’s it. That is the terrible insult to all veterans. That is the attack on John Kerry’s patriotism. John Kerry took a camera to Vietnam and got some good pictures. How can this country go on with such mudslinging going on in our presidential politics?

By the way, when I deployed to Diego Garcia during Gulf War I, I took my camera. I got some pretty nice pictures. But don’t tell anyone, because I don’t want to have my patriotism challenged.