It absolutely baffles me that Senator John Kerry would not just apologize and move on.  Clearly, he made a mistake.  But to dig the hole even deeper makes absolutely no sense.  Below, I have included a link to the video where Kerry made an unbelievable comment about the lack of education of American troops serving in Iraq.

And, I absolutely have no idea how Kerry can justify his assertion that the comment that he made concerned President George Bush – not the American troops in Iraq.

Clearly, he was talking about American troops.  He said that if you are not educated, “you can get stuck in Iraq”. 

Unfortunately, for Senator Kerry, regardless of his intent, his statement has become the story.  Rightfully, numerous Republicans (and I noticed today… Harold Ford) have asked Senator Kerry to apologize for his statement.  But, now, he is boxed into a corner.  I watched a press conference given by Press Secretary Tony Snow today where he asked John Kerry to apologize …. a least 10 times

Now, if Senator Kerry apologizes, it will appear as if he is reacting to the demand by the White House.  But, this just appears to be another case of a politician who cannot and will not apologize for what he says and what he does.

The American people are very forgiving.  American history is full of examples of politicians who could’ve been absolved had they just apologize from the outset.  For example, though President Nixon may not have known about the Watergate cover-up when it happened, ultimately he did know something.  At this point, if Nixon had just “fessed up” to the American people and told the people what he knew, likely, he never would have been forced to resign from office.  In more recent memory, instead of hiding the 8-ball, if President Clinton had just told the American people about his affair and  apologized for lying in a legal deposition, likely, he never would have been impeached.

I guess it is just hard to admit when you’re wrong, sometimes.  But, in politics, as your momma said, “honesty is”, in fact, “the best policy.”  And, when you are in politics… so is apologizing.  Given, I would never vote for John Kerry for dog catcher, if I were one of his advisers, I would still advise him to apologize.

Regardless of his intent, as it came out, John Kerry insulted the men and women who are serving this country on the frontlines in Iraq.  As it came out, what Senator Kerry said was both revolting and disgraceful.  He may not want to apologize.  But, as a United States Senator and a leader in this nation, for the sake of soldiers serving abroad, he should be forced to.

I do commend Democrats such as Harold Ford who demanded that Senator Kerry apologize.  This is not just a political issue.  This is an issue of basic patriotism that should not go unchallenged.