I wrote last night about Ford campaigning for Kerry in 2004 and how he would probably play this whole situation both ways, and that's EXACTLY what happened. Ford, after being briefed by his consultants I'm sure, issued a statement today about John Kerry's idiotic quote. Here's what Ford had to say -

"Whatever the intent, Senator Kerry was wrong to say what he said. He needs to apologize to our troops. However, Senator Kerry's words don't alter the fact that the stay-the-course strategy pursued by President Bush and supported by Bob Corker isn't working. We need a new direction in Iraq. I know how hard our troops work, and the sacrifices they make, for our freedoms. They deserve a plan for victory as good as they are, and as Senator I intend to see they get one."

I wonder how long it took all his consultants and advisers to come up with this one. The one thing I love about running as an independent is that I can be my own man. I say exactly what I think and feel without having a hired staff coaching me. Ford couldn't just release something saying Kerry was wrong, he also had to throw a "however" into it and use this as something to once again hammer on the failed strategy and blah blah blah. See how he wants it both ways? Let me sum up what Ford said in my own words - "I can't seem like a liberal even though I campaigned for Kerry because I need to seem more like a conservative Democrat, so I'll quickly switch the focus of my statement to something else and be able to appeal to both sides". He wants to be anti-Kerry and anti-Bush in the same statement. Sorry Harold, I don't buy it. After all, he Had Bill Clinton in Memphis today campaigning for him, and this is the guy that is responsible for gutting the military during the 1990's. Oh, and there was that little incident with a certain intern and the rape allegations from other women. Yes, that would definitely be someone I would want campaigning for me.

The part I truly don't understand about all this is the way the Corker camp is treating this. Sure, they're playing up Ford's ties to Kerry, but they have yet to bring up Ford's Kerry-ish position on the military in Iraq. As I have said many times, Ford said he would have voted "no" if he knew then what he knows now. Instead, the Corker camp wants to keep harping on Ford campaigning for Kerry. I bring this up because I hope it shows the difference between me and the "conservative" Bob Corker. Exposing Ford on his lack of a stand on the war is so easy, I've done it many times in this blog, yet Corker doesn't ever mention it. I have no problem doing it at all, because I respect our military too much to let Ford spout his soundbites.

Am I "attacking" Ford and Corker? I don't think so. When it comes to our military, I get very worked-up. What I'm sick of is seeing the war we are in being used as a game in this election year. Lives are at stake and I will not be quiet when I see someone playing politics from either party. I honestly wonder if the bulk of our troops would be home by now if people in Washington would just shut up and let them do what they need to do instead of being so selfish and using this war for political gain. War is not about being the nice guy, it's about one thing - winning. I love how a Chattanooga newspaper called me a "pro-war" candidate. I am definitely not pro-war, but if we go to war then we go all out to win and get our soldiers home. We have such a lack of leadership in Washington it isn't funny. This is why on 9/11 my reaction was to start Operation Glass Parking Lot and completely flatten the middle east and be done with it. Other countries don't take us seriously anymore. Why would Chavez talk the way he did on American soil? Why would that midget in North Korea conduct his nuclear tests? And why would Iran announce they were starting war games? They don't respect our power anymore. Why should they? They watch CNN and read the internet...they know that we have these morons in Washington who will attack the very country they are supposed to represent. Well I'm sick of it, and I know a lot of you are as well. I'm just so tired of reading about another soldier dying when this country could have ended all of this a while back. I don't want anyone in Washington with another plan or "stay the course". I want people who will say "do what needs to be done" and won't whine to the media. Our military deserves so much more than being used as pawns in the political game. This country sent them in to do a job, so LET THEM!

Oh, and Kerry did apologize. Yippee...I'm sure it means so much. I see it as sincere as when Dick Durbin compared our soldiers to Nazis.