Kerry’s army jab fuels Republican fire

Tuesday President Bush, along with other GOP lawmakers, blasted Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., for remarks he made in an address, in which he told a group of college students they could either work hard in school or “get stuck in Iraq.”

Apparently the comment was meant as a joke aimed toward Bush and not the troops currently serving in Iraq. The statement was misconstrued after a blunder in his speech. Despite the fact that the comment was taken out of context and deemed offensive, there is some truth to it.

We’re sure there are plenty of intelligent individuals in our armed forces who feel compelled to serve their country in a meaningful capacity. But there are quite a few others who see the army as a means of evading the pressures of academia and searching for a way to develop discipline. These are the people who haven’t always been successful in scholastics and figure the army is an easy alternative. It’s wrong, but it is a generalization that is valid in its own right.

Unfortunately, Kerry’s comment has definitely given Republicans sufficient steam to power their vehicle of retaliation in the upcoming election. It is also a prime example of how there is no room for empty insults and error in the political arena.

Negative intentions can only reciprocate negative attention. In the end, it’s not about what party with which you are associated or trying to be politically correct. It’s about realizing the small bits of truth in the generalizations we often avoid and using some sense of caution in what you say.

Yewande Addie for the Editorial Board.