WASHINGTON – Fearful of damaging his party in next week's elections, Sen. John Kerry apologized Wednesday to "any service member, family member or American" offended by remarks deemed by Republicans and Democrats to be insulting to U.S. forces in Iraq.
Six days before the election, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee said he wanted to avoid becoming a distraction in the final days of the battle for control of Congress. He added that he sincerely regretted that his words were "misinterpreted to imply anything negative about those in uniform."
In a brief statement, Mr. Kerry attacked President Bush for a "failed security policy." Yet his apology, issued after prominent Democrats urged him to cancel public appearances, was designed to quell a controversy that party leaders feared would stall their drive for big gains on Nov. 7.
Two days ago, Mr. Kerry stirred controversy when he told a group of California students that individuals who don't study hard and do their homework would likely "get stuck in Iraq." Aides said the senator mistakenly dropped one word from his prepared remarks, which were originally written to say "you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq." In that context, they said, it was clear Mr. Kerry was referring to Mr. Bush, not to the troops.
Mr. Kerry beat a grudging retreat in his return to the national campaign spotlight. In an appearance Wednesday on the radio program Imus in the Morning before his apology, the Massachusetts senator said he was "sorry about a botched joke" about Mr. Bush.
He heaped praise on the troops, adamantly accused Republicans of twisting his words and said it was the commander in chief and his aides who "owe America an apology for this disaster in Iraq."
Democrats cringed, though, at the prospect of the Massachusetts senator becoming the face of the party for the second consecutive national campaign. "No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., like Mr. Kerry, a potential contender for the 2008 nomination.
Congressional candidates in Iowa and Minnesota swiftly made plain that Mr. Kerry was no longer welcome to appear at scheduled rallies, and the senator scrapped an appearance in Philadelphia.
"It was a real dumb thing to say. He should say sorry," said Democrat Claire McCaskill, running in a tight Senate campaign in Missouri.
The White House accepted Mr. Kerry's statement. "Senator Kerry's apology to the troops for his insulting comments came late, but it was the right thing to do," said Dana Perino, deputy press secretary.
With Mr. Bush showing the way, Republicans worked energetically to turn Mr. Kerry into an all-purpose target.
"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words. ... We've got incredible people in our military, and they deserve full praise and full support of this government," Mr. Bush said in an interview with conservative talk-radio personality Rush Limbaugh.
"Of course, now Senator Kerry says he was just making a joke, and he botched it up," Vice President Dick Cheney said in remarks prepared for a campaign appearance in Montana. "I guess we didn't get the nuance. He was for the joke before he was against it."
The jab was designed to recall Mr. Kerry's inartful comment from the last election that he voted for $87 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before he voted against it.
At a campaign stop in Hilliard, Ohio, first lady Laura Bush didn't mention Mr. Kerry by name, but she cautioned that Americans discussing the war should be careful.
"The right to have these conversations is part of what makes our country great and our democracy strong. We must be mindful that people around the world are listening to these discussions," she said.
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