March 20, 2004
KERRY KRASHES, KURSES
Now he’s literally performing backflips:
Mr. Kerry awoke determined to hit the slopes of Mount Baldy.
The image-conscious candidate and his aides prevailed upon reporters and photographers to let him have a first run down the mountain solo, except for two agents and Marvin Nicholson, his omnipresent right-hand man.
His next trip down, a reporter and a camera crew were allowed to follow along on skis — just in time to see Mr. Kerry taken out by one of the Secret Service men, who had inadvertently moved into his path, sending him into the snow.
When asked about the mishap a moment later, he said sharply, "I don't fall down," then used an expletive to describe the agent who "knocked me over."
Possibly the expletive was the same used by George W. Bush to describe New York Times reporter Adam Clymer in 2000.
"Outta my way, assholes!"
This character-revealing Kerry episode is recounted fully 650 words into the NYT’s report (headline: “Amid Natural Splendor in Idaho, a Weary Kerry Gets Away From It All”). Observe, in coming days, how the media treats Kerry’s remarks about the Secret Service agent. Contrast this with treatment of Bush’s comment. Draw own conclusions.
UPDATE. The Boston Globe reports no expletives, and describes Kerry as a skilled snowboarder and skier:
Only once, on the Upper College trail, a green (or easy) course, did Kerry fall, when a member of his Secret Service detail collided with him.
It’s all the Secret Service guy’s fault. The Globe’s report is rescued by this delicious image:
There were some hecklers, too, such as a few children who murmured, "George Bush, George Bush" when Kerry walked by.
He may have won the support of anonymous foreign leaders, but Kerry has lost the crucial Children of the Corn demographic.
UPDATE II. Drudge reports:
Dem presidential candidate John Kerry called his secret service agent a "son of a bitch" after the agent inadvertently moved into his path during a ski mishap in Idaho, sending Kerry falling into the snow.
When asked a moment later about the incident by a reporter on the ski run, Kerry said sharply, "I don't fall down," the "son of a bitch knocked me over."
The Secret Service agent in question has complained about Kerry's treatment, top sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
UPDATE III. Dave Barry mentions a previous Kerry snow incident, Hugh Hewitt weighs in, and the Arizona Republic’s Phil Boas writes:
Not much unites Americans in these polarized days of talk radio and cable screaming heads, but we do share one thing in common and have since the birth of our Republic.
We hate snobs.
Americans aren't going to elect John Kerry and his "vast palette of cultural preferences," and we're certainly not going to elect a man who electrifies Maureen Dowd.
So when I read today that Kerry cussed out his secret service agent for making him fall on the ski slopes, I just found it hard to work up any interest. One more Brahmin eruption. Yawn.
This thing is over.
(Via hyperalert reader Sean S.)
Posted by Tim Blair at March 20, 2004 01:49 AMTim, you missed the money quote:
"No one was hurt, and Mr. Kerry came careering (sic)down the mountain moments later."
Yeah, careering down.
Posted by: JohnO at March 20, 2004 at 02:07 AMActually, "careering" is an appropriate word, although we would usually expect to see "careening."
What I found amusing was the Kerry supporter who was against Bush because he is "destroying the environment." Didn't Kerry strongarm the local and Idaho governments into diverting a river so the foreign vegetation landscaping his Idaho home can survive? Isn't this anti-environmental? Maybe we should concetrate on the "mental" part of environmentialism.
Posted by: JorgXMcKie at March 20, 2004 at 02:11 AMwith the combination of that hair and the botox, who needs a helmet?
Posted by: Mr. Bingley at March 20, 2004 at 02:12 AMMan, "I don't fall down" is the worst kind of play-it-safe attitude to have on the slopes.
It means you're not trying to get better.
note also jorg that the kerry supporter who feels bush is 'destroying the environment' didn't seem to mind kerry and ketchup jetting into town on a chartered 737; i guess her luggage wouldn't fit into the trunk of their prius...
Posted by: Mr. Bingley at March 20, 2004 at 02:15 AMSo Kerry, you think you're pretty hot, eh? Well, how about a race, tommorrow, down the K-13!?
Heh-heh-heh...heh-heh-heh...heh-heh-heh...heh-heh-heh...heh-heh-heh...heh-heh-heh...
Posted by: Richard at March 20, 2004 at 02:27 AMStealth edit alert: I've changed "Apparently the expletive" to "Possibly the expletive". Inform the ombudsman!
Posted by: tim at March 20, 2004 at 02:54 AMI think we know who the Secret Service will vote for. At least that one.
How he's treating them as candidate must be getting around.
Posted by: Sandy P. at March 20, 2004 at 03:28 AM"When asked about the [fall while Kerry was snowboarding] mishap a moment later, he said sharply, "I don't fall down," then used an expletive to describe the agent who "knocked me over."
Nice guy. I wonder what he called the agent (a man who is there to take a bullet for him).
Notice something else about the quote?
Kerry says, "I don't fall down." Not "I didn't fall down": "I DON'T fall down." It sounds like he's saying, "I don't make mistakes." I.e., he is Mr. Perfection.
I read a lot of stuff from people who hate Bush, but I don't recall ever seeing them say anything GOOD about Senator (Part-Time) Waffle (D-France). Interesting.
How about this snap? Dang, that's scary!
Posted by: Cracker Barrel Philosopher at March 20, 2004 at 03:34 AMWeenies waffle, but they 'Don't Fall Down' ??
Posted by: tree hugging sister at March 20, 2004 at 04:21 AMThe ultimate responsibility of a Secret Service agent is to catch a bullet to protect his charge. When John Hinkley open fire on Ronald Reagan and his group in 1981, a brave agent jumped in front of Reagan and caught a bullet for him. There is no higher loyalty.
If Kerry has those kinds of feelings towards the people charged to protect him, even at the cost of their own lives, then he better hope that some agent will be able to put aside his personal feelings and do his duty without hesitation should the unthinkable happen.
Some people have a hard time realizing that loyalty works both ways. Years ago while I was in the Air Force, I heard of a fighter wing commander who was constantly treating his ground crews like crap. One day, as he was getting ready to go flying, his crew chief stopped him from taking off. It seems someone had wired his parachute so that it wouldn't open. Given that it would've been easy for someone to also rig his plane so that he would've had to eject. I heard he had a much better attitude towards the ground crew once he realized how much his life depended on them, and how easily they could take him out should he continue being such a jerk.
Kerry should think about that.
Posted by: Larry J at March 20, 2004 at 04:28 AM“I don’t fall down” is a declarative used as an imperative meaning in this case “Don’t make me fall down.” In another context it could have meant “Don’t let me fall down.” The use of a declarative used as an imperative is in order to represent oneself as an unquestioned authority, it’s a boss brooking no contradiction. It’s kind of annoying sometimes but it’s not a crime. However, his short temper with a man who’s job it is to protect him & take bullets for him suggests that he has given little or no thought to that man. One might think he would give some such thought, since he himself has faced bullets, but maybe he thinks that that’s the exact reason that he doesn’t need to—he’s already “paid his dues,” he has the right to regard it as no big deal, etc., etc. Gross. Okay. Now ist der time Shprockets ven ve dance.
What would you think if I altered my tune,
Would you stand up & walk out on me?
Bring it on, bro, don’t you know who I am?
And my name is John F’in’ Kerry
Oh I get by with a little slack for my French.
(with apologies to Dorkafork)
Posted by: ForNow at March 20, 2004 at 04:31 AMBush's asshole audio at real audio (105kb)
Bush apologized for not watching the open mike, but not for the remark. It's also where Cheney got the name ``Big Time.''
Posted by: Ron Hardin at March 20, 2004 at 04:45 AMKerry: Nietzsche said, out of chaos comes order.
Heinz (running): Never mind that shit, HERE COMES BIG TIME!
Posted by: ForNow at March 20, 2004 at 04:49 AMFor the South Park fans:
"John Kerry? More like John Darry!"
Posted by: Andy at March 20, 2004 at 05:45 AMWhen you sell your Italian mansion you lose some of your skills from being able to play in the Alps.
Kerry has all of Clinton's arrogance and self-entitlement with none of the smoothness and charm. Screw the polls, once America catches this guy's act on a regular basis he'll go down in flames.
Twwwwooooooooooo Dooooolllllllaaaaaarrrrrssssss...
Also, I thought waffles were stable in freezing temps, no?
Posted by: Crusader at March 20, 2004 at 07:01 AMLove the comment under the picture, but I can't help wondering why Josh Gerstein's explosive article isn't getting any attention in the blogosphere.
Posted by: Pat Curley at March 20, 2004 at 07:05 AMAnyone who has ever spent time on the slopes (either skier or snowboarder) knows that the downhill person has the right of way. If Kerry and the secret service agent collided, and the agent was further downhill than Kerry when Kerry ran into him, then it is Kerry's fault - especially if Kerry is more skilled (which, based on the picture, appears to be the case). If they are close enough to collide, then someone is behaving dangerously by coming too close to another person and moving too fast to be in control.
Knowing Kerry's behavior towards the "little people", I would bet I know who the faulty party was.
I have been skiing since I was 4 (for nearly 41 years). I probably ski a little too fast, take a few too many risks for my current physical shape. I still jump cliffs (although smaller than ones I once jumped - think 10 feet versus 30 feet). I have had a few close calls, but usually intentionally, with friends skiing at or near my own ability and messing around. If I see someone whose ability is suspect, I give them plenty of room and attention. I do not remember ever running into anyone - maybe when I was 8 or 9.
This looks just like typical Kerry - disdain and distaste for those in his way. It couldn't be Kerry's fault, it must be someone else's fault! Come to think of it, this is just typical lefty behavior - elitist and unresponsible.
From a former ski instructor and ski bum.
Posted by: Matt at March 20, 2004 at 07:38 AMIf for Kerry it’s always somebody else’s fault, then he’s a Mondale too.
Posted by: ForNow at March 20, 2004 at 07:59 AMFrom Drudge:
Dem presidential candidate John Kerry called his secret service agent a "son of a bitch" after the agent inadvertently moved into his path during a ski mishap in Idaho, sending Kerry falling into the snow.
When asked a moment later about the incident by a reporter on the ski run, Kerry said sharply, "I don't fall down," the "son of a b*itch knocked me over."
The Secret Service agent in question has complained about Kerry's treatment, top sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
...
On Friday, Kerry, his snowboard strapped to his back, hiked past 9,000 feet on Durrance Peak, then snowboarded down the mountain, taking repeated tumbles. Reporters counted six falls, although Kerry was out of sight for part of the descent.
>>The use of a declarative used as an imperative is in order to represent oneself as an unquestioned authority
Or to represent oneself as a particularly unpleasant adolescent.
Posted by: AK at March 20, 2004 at 08:16 AMCareening, Jorg? Huh? Are you seriously suggesting that Kerry goes to an Idaho ski resort so that he can be laid on his side to have the barnacles scraped off? Look up 'careening' in the dictionary, please. 'Careering' is the correct usage. And bullets don't careen off rocks either. They carom.
What I get from this story is that with every day that passes, Kerry shows himself to be an asshole of cosmic proportions, and utterly unfitted to be President. In fact, I think if he gets any closer to the White House than he did when he chucked those medals over the fence, the Secret Service should shoot him on grounds of national security.
Posted by: David Gillies at March 20, 2004 at 08:25 AM"I actually did vote for the assassination of select U.S. Senators, before I voted against it."
—John Kerry, November 14, 1971
I wonder what SGT Stryker has to say... he had some choice stories about pols and their interactions with the "little people".
Posted by: Kevin at March 20, 2004 at 09:57 AMMaybe I should do "Kerry Likes to Ski Black Diamonds". Picture yourself on a Swift Boat on a River...
Posted by: dorkafork at March 20, 2004 at 10:01 AMThis seems like a good time to dust off a year-old column by Dave Barry:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/6761106.htm
Money quote in the last paragraph:
"In conclusion, I want to extend my sincere best wishes to all of my opponents, Republican and Democrat, and to state that, in the unlikely event I am not elected, I will support whoever is, even if it is Sen. John Kerry, who once came, with his entourage, into a ski-rental shop in Ketchum, Idaho, where I was waiting patiently with my family to rent snowboards, and Sen. Kerry used one of his lackeys to flagrantly barge in line ahead of us and everybody else, as if he had some urgent senatorial need for a snowboard, like there was about to be an emergency meeting, out on the slopes, of the Joint Halfpipe Committee. I say it's time for us, as a nation, to put this unpleasant incident behind us. I know that I, for one, have forgotten all about it. That is how fair and balanced I am."
This seems like a good time to dust off a year-old column by Dave Barry:http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/6761106.htm
Dang, it's still on the Herald's website? I had to pay money to get hold of that column when I went looking for it. I couldn't get to it via the website when I wanted to quote it on my blog.
A few more incidents like this, and Kerry will begin to sense his campaign is really heading south. Then we'll see Kerry at his ugliest.
The Democrats certainly enjoyed using Bush's Service Record as a chew toy. I'm wondering, is John Kerry the only " war hero " (self-professed or otherwise), who has refused to release HIS SERVICE RECORD for public perusal?
Remember the "Band of Brothers" scene, where the 2 GIs are lying on their hospital bunks in their jammies, laughing after receiving their Purple Hearts from a visiting high ranking officer? The one lifts up his pillow to show his buddy the other 2 Purple Hearts he's received so far for his scratches. They both have a yuk over Purple Hearts being handed out like candy, until the severely wounded Private Blythe is brought in, shot through the throat, and they remark that he's only entitled to one P.H.
Kerry likes to talk " Band of Brothers " style too. Kerry's Purple Hearts never found their way under a hospital pillow, because he never made it to a hospital bed, despite three " wound " decorations. They also didn't find their way over the White House fence and onto the lawn. They did however, serve as a ticket home after 4 1/2 months, rather than the usual 12 months in a combat role. Guess he missed his anti-war protest buddies, especially the ones at Yale, with whom he PROTESTED THE WAR BEFORE ENLISTING IN THE SERVICE.
Kerry's Vietnam service looks suspiciously like calculated resume-fleshing by an extremely ambitious young 24 year old, thinking politics long before he stepped off the plane in Da Nang or where ever the hell he landed.
War Hero? I guess we'll just have to take his word fot it.
Posted by: Mike at March 20, 2004 at 04:58 PM
If Kerry is as bad as this all suggests, then everyone can chill out. I'm actually skeptical of Drudge's claim that the Secret Service agent "complained" - not that it couldn't happen, but that an agent would complain to a journalist when so easily identified.
Tim, or anyone, do you suppose that the "Carl H." who noted the Dave Barry piece could be Carl Hiassen, also of the Miami Herald? Carl Hiassen is sweet. Worth maybe checking the ISP of the sender...but I wouldn't want to scare off Carl Hiassen from commenting here.
Posted by: Screamapiller at March 20, 2004 at 05:05 PMHmmmmm, it would seem that the Ketchups are attempting to wrestle the title of Lord and Lady Douchebag away from Bill and Hillary Clinton.
"Bush apologized for not watching the open mike, but not for the remark. It's also where Cheney got the name "Big Time."' The problem here Ron is that Adam Clymer really is a major league asshole. Clymer's record speaks for itself, we don't, however, know anything about the unsung civil servant and I seriously doubt Lord Douchebag does either.
"Americans aren't going to elect John Kerry and his "vast palette of cultural preferences," and we're certainly not going to elect a man who electrifies Maureen Dowd." I tell ya probably what electrifies MoDo is gargling with a fifth of cheap bourbon then riding her washing machine while on the spin cycle over and over.
Posted by: Harry at March 20, 2004 at 05:53 PMScreamapiller wrote:
I'm actually skeptical of Drudge's claim that the Secret Service agent "complained" - not that it couldn't happen, but that an agent would complain to a journalist when so easily identified.Drudge doesn't say who the agent complained to. Probably the agent complained to his superiors and Drudge got this info from his "top sources".
Hmm, Kerry treats subordinates as badly as Michael Moore!
Posted by: Jim C. at March 20, 2004 at 06:46 PMTechnical correction.
Sen. Kerry is not an ***hole, as some have said.
He is -- as is well known to neighbors of his haughty, squishy-liberal home state -- a Masshole.
Posted by: Axel Kassel at March 20, 2004 at 11:27 PMI admit that I'm biased against Kerry, but really--I look at the picture above and I say to myself, "Snowboarding is a sport for the young." I dunno...I just think skiing would look more dignified for a man his age.
As a Colorado resident and regular skier, I continue to laugh at the regular use of the term "skilled skier" to describe guys who tear up the groomed green and blue slopes. (A recent article used the same terminology to fawningly describe the skiing abilities of Gov. Arnold.) Like their subjects, the journalists probably only get out to the slopes once a year and so have an odd idea of what constitutes skilled skiing. I find the groomers nerve-wracking these days because I never know when some out of control master of the slopes with no respect for skiing etiquette is going to run me down. And don't get me started on the guy who was skiing down the blue feeder run while talking on his cell phone. I'll stick to the black mogul runs--they're much safer.
Posted by: C. S. Froning at March 21, 2004 at 12:22 AMKerry snowboards (like a Gen X kid) at a posh resort in Idaho..."w" clears brush on vacation while at his Texas ranch...
I worked in Idaho near Sun Valley. Yes, Sun Valley is full of California and other rich yuppies...but my friend was the doc in Hailey caring for a lot of their "help" who lived in mobile homes and were as poor as church rats.
"Lighten up, Senator. One of these men may save your life some day."
"Then again, maybe one of us won't."
Posted by: GoesTo11 at March 21, 2004 at 03:22 AMNow imagine Kerry talking to the leader of a small country in, say, negotiations for rights for a US military base or reduction in tariffs.
"You'd better do as your told, because your piss-ant country can be squashed like a bug. We could do it, or we could let your drug-lord-dominated neighbors do it. Understand, little man?"
Yeah, that's the kind of man we need conducting foreign policy.
Why am I reminded of Ross Perot? What a disaster HE would have been.
Posted by: ConservativeQueer at March 22, 2004 at 04:31 AMHow is it possible that anyone in his right mind would even consider this Kerry hemorrhoid?? Maybe he will stay in Massachusetts and get
Teddy Kennedy to ride him across a bridge!!