Run Awaaaaay…

Not only has John Kerry been attacked by Republicans for his untimely remarks, but now, Democrats are beginning to distance themselves from him as if he had a bad case of strep throat.

Sen. Kerry’s remarks were poorly worded and just plain stupid,” said Montana Senate President Jon Tester, a Democrat trying to unseat GOP Sen. Conrad Burns. “He owes our troops and their families an apology.”

With each party looking for any advantage in a race expected to turn in large measure on the unpopular war in Iraq, Kerry campaign appearances in Iowa, Minnesota and Pennsylvania were canceled.

A spokesman for Democratic congressional candidate Bruce Braley in Iowa said Braley had decided independently to cancel an event with Kerry scheduled for Thursday. Braley, who is running against Republican Mike Whalen, said in a statement that the White House and Kerry should stop bickering and focus on how to change course in Iraq.

Meredith Salsbery, a spokeswoman for congressional candidate Tim Walz, said Kerry made the final decision but acknowledged campaign officials were worried that the controversy would distract from his effort to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht.

Kerry spokesman David Wade confirmed he no longer would appear at a Philadelphia rally on Wednesday for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Casey.

If I were Kerry, and thank heavens I’m not, I’d be lookin’ for a big ole’ patch of tall grass to hide in. It’s bad enough to say what he said; but, it’s even worse to be so stupid prideful that he couldn’t apologize (whether he meant the apology or not) for such a bone-headed remark.

IMHO, this bruhaha will probably drive a stake in the heart of Kerry’s plans for a presidential run in ‘08. I suspect that’s what Hillary is hoping for anyway. She’s gotta be dancing in the aisle over this one. The Republican “powers that be” are hoping, that at the very least, voters will associate Kerry’s inexcusable behavior with the Democrat party when they enter the voting booth next week.

UPDATE: Huh? This from the Kerry camp:

A Kerry spokeswoman, Amy Brundage, said later that the senator’s prepared text had called for him to say: “Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush.”

Not even close to the original remarks.