If ever you wanted to understand American politics and why our society is like it is, why our government is like it is, with nary a progressive at our elected fingertips, take these two paragraphs from a Tuesday evening Reuters wire story:

Democratic Sen. John Kerry drew election-year fire from President George W. Bush and other Republicans on Tuesday for saying college students could "get stuck in Iraq" if they do not study hard.



But Kerry, who unsuccessfully challenged Bush in the 2004 presidential election, refused to apologize and said his remark was a "botched joke" aimed at the president, not U.S. troops.

The distinguished Massachusettes senator has singlehandedly put the Dems in a position where next Tuesday could become an astonishing snatch of defeat from the jaws of victory -- in classic Democrat style. Kerry's verbal bumblings have made our current president's lack of English command look quite appealing considering George W. Bush really isn't all that book-smart.

Kerry's suggestion that troops serving in Iraq are stupid or undereducated is at once untrue and unmeant but also a gaffe that has real ramifications for liberals all across the country. Republicans finally have the ammunition they've needed, the verbal proof that liberals are elitist snobs who really look down on the men and women who choose to do our battles.

John Kerry should do more than apologize. He should resign from the Senate and be permanently disaffiliated with the Democratic party. Banished. And, I'm deadly serious.

Callling the troops "stupid," if even a bad joke, is pretty much socially tantamount to using the "N" word. It's inexcusable.

To any ordinary, right-minded citizen, an apology would seemingly do. However, in an age of YouTube, in an age where liberals have prided themselves on making fun of Dubya's speech, mannerisms and strategery, a gaffe this huge is mind-blowing.

It honestly reminds me of the scene from David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" where Kevin Spacey's character completely blows a ruse Al Pacino (Richard Roma) has going with Jack Lemmon on a sale of land to Jonathan Pryce, on which he had since reneged.

Roma was so overcome by anger and astonishment at the lack of competence displayed by his office manager (Spacey) in saying that a check Pryce had written for land already been deposited at a bank that Pacino's character let Spacey's have it with an eloquence deserving of Kerry today (the language is harsh, but coming from Pacino's lips, it's pure art):

You stupid fucking cunt. You, Williamson, I'm talking to you, shithead. You just cost me $6,000. Six thousand dollars, and one Cadillac. That's right. What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do about it, asshole? You're fucking shit. Where did you learn your trade, you stupid fucking cunt, you idiot? Who ever told you that you could work with men? Oh, I'm gonna have your job, shithead.

Insert "Kerry" for Williamson.