At this point, everyone is used to President Bush mischaracterizing the remarks of his opponents, as he is doing with John Kerry’s botched joke. But will John “Straight Talk” McCain pay any reputational price for
this:

Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country’s call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education. Americans from all backgrounds, well off and less fortunate, with high school diplomas and graduate degrees, take seriously their duty to our country, and risk their lives today to defend the rest of us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

They all deserve our respect and deepest gratitude for their service. The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq, is an insult to every soldier serving in combat, and should deeply offend any American with an ounce of appreciation for what they suffer and risk so that the rest of us can sleep more comfortably at night. Without them, we wouldn’t live in a country where people securely possess all their God-given rights, including the right to express insensitive, ill-considered and uninformed remarks.

It’s more than a little ironic for McCain to get outraged about a joke given that he meant to tell this one back in 1998:

Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.

Unlike Kerry, Saint McCain received almost no negative coverage for it. The press needs to treating him like what he is — just another politician.