A verbal misstep by U.S. Sen. John Kerry has riled many Americans, veterans, active members of the military and even members of his own party.

Kerry at first adamantly refused to apologize for implying Monday that troops in Iraq are unintelligent, but he issued an apology of sorts on his Web site late Wednesday afternoon.

"As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about and never intended to refer to, any troop," Kerry said on his Web site. "I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended."

A close examination of the "apology" might cause some readers to wonder if Kerry is regretting that he made the original remarks or whether he regrets that people "misinterpreted" them.

The 2004 Democrat presidential nominee was on a campaign tour for a congressional candidate in California when he told a room full of students, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

The statement prompted the National Commander of The American Legion to demand that Kerry apologize for suggesting American troops in Iraq are uneducated.

"As a constituent of Senator Kerry's I am disappointed. As leader of The American Legion, I am outraged," said National Commander Paul A. Morin. "A generation ago, Sen. Kerry slandered his comrades in Vietnam by saying that they were rapists and murderers. It wasn't true then and his warped view of today's heroes isn't true now.

"And while we are on the topic of education, why doesn't the senator and his comrades in Congress improve the G.I. Bill so all of today's military members -- reserves and guard included -- can achieve the educational aspirations that the senator so highly values?" Morin continued. "The senator's false and outrageous attack was over-the-top and he should apologize now."

Kerry later attempted to explain his remarks. First, he said his words were taken out of context. Next, he said he was referring to the president as being not smart. Still later, Kerry said his statement should have been, "If you don't, (WE) get stuck in Iraq," again in reference to President Bush. (The president actually graduated from Yale University with a higher grade point average than Kerry's, although not by much.)

The White House quickly fired back at Kerry, saying he owed troops an apology. ""The senator's suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting, and it is shameful," Bush said during a campaign stop in Georgia. "The members of the United States military are plenty smart and they are plenty brave, and the senator from Massachusetts owes them an apology."

Sen. John McCain and other Republican leaders immediately jumped on the "apologize-to-the-troops" bandwagon. By Tuesday afternoon, when Kerry called a press conference to make it "crystal clear" that he would not apologize, Democrats were quickly distancing themselves from him. Even Sen. Hillary Clinton called Kerry's remark "inappropriate." Kerry subsequently canceled all his campaign stops and scheduled TV appearances, saying he didn't want to be a distraction in the last few days leading up to the Nov. 7 elections.

The leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, joined the chorus calling for an apology: "Our soldiers risk their lives in the face of grave dangers on the battlefield, and no one who chooses to courageously and selflessly defend our country can be considered uneducated."

Kerry countered with, "This is a textbook Republican campaign strategy: try to change the topic, try to make someone else the issue, and try to make something else said the issue, not the policy, not their responsibility." He called his statement a "botched joke."

Most political observers believe Kerry has his eye on the 2008 presidential nomination. Pundits are tripping over themselves to draw parallels between Kerry's frequent gaffes during his failed 2004 election campaign and his latest statements.

Kerry, who served four months in Vietnam and returned home after receiving a scratch on his leg, has frequently disparaged U.S. troops. One of his initial acts was to toss medals he said were his over the fence surrounding the White House as a protest against the Vietnam War. Kerry, a few decades later, admitted the medals were not his.

The senator testified in Congress about atrocities by U.S. soldiers he witnessed in Vietnam. Investigations during the last presidential campaign cast serious questions on whether Kerry was even in the areas where he testified seeing the acts committed.

Kerry also has made disparaging remarks about soldiers in Iraq, accusing them of breaking into Iraqi homes to rape and abuse the women there.

Sid Francis, a former New York City police detective and U.S. Marine, believes Kerry is out of touch with men and women who serve their country.

"This man, who married into wealth twice, looks down on patriots and men and women who serve as soldiers and cops. It's obvious he believes they're chumps," Francis said.

The National Association of Chiefs of Police sent out a press release condemning Kerry's comments.

"Kerry thinks that because he served four months in Vietnam, that gives him the right to undermine our troops while they are in the battlefield. He did it during the Vietnam War and he's doing it during this war," said a spokesperson for the 14,000-member police organization.

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