Freudian Slips...Slip of the tongue...

I have been following the outrage over Kerry's remarks at a campaign rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. He apparently said to a group of college students:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

And I am sure he chuckled, and the crowd likely chuckled as well...as this was just one of many "jokes" he told during the rally. Now it turns out that he was supposed 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.”

Which you have to admit is MUCH funnier...

So why the uproar? At first I thought it was just politics at its best...capitalize on an opponent's mistake, make it a bigger deal than it actually is, etc. However, with further thought, maybe it is a big deal. I don't necessarily think Kerry thinks the troops are stupid, but when he read his prepared remarks, and later shared them with a huge audience, that is what he said, and everyone laughed about it...I doubt anyone booed the remarks, but for some reason, the crowd thought it was funny. Now that actually is disturbing, and disrespectful to the men and women in uniform that are serving our nation in Iraq. Kerry does not need to apologize for the joke that he intended to deliver, because it was hilarious and poked fun only at the Commander and Chief; however, I think he should apologize for his slip of the tongue AND THE REACTION TO IT.

And I think he should stick to reading from a teleprompter from now on whenever he delivers a speech... :)