If you had heard the quote, just the quote, by itself without any of the feigned outrage from the republican spin machine, would you have come to the conclusion, on your own, that he was dissing the troops?

Because, personally, I just don't see it. I'm not a Kerry fan at all and yet, I'm having a really hard time understanding how it could be perceived that way. I completely understand that the right demands that it be perceived that way but I have a hard time believing that this is the interpretation that most people would have come to, had they simply heard the quote in context, without all of the commentary that accompanied it, telling them that they should be outraged.

To me, it sounds like he was dissing Bush and potentially dissing the abysmal educational system that was created with "No Child Left Behind". And again, saying that uneducated people tend to join the military IS NOT the same as saying that everyone in the military is stupid.

The sad fact of that picture is that they are indeed stuck in Iraq until the US develops a better strategy other than "stay the course".

Plenty smart!? Bush actually said that? Talk about making a joke come to life!

What I find interesting is that studies put the high school graduation rate of enlisted recruits at over 96%. General populace is around 80%.

So I don't believe it is true.

Don't believe what is true?

I thought being a HS grad was a requirement for enlistees- am I mistaken?

It might not be, if they keep lowering the standards anymore

The Army, Air Force and Navy sites all ask for HS diploma or GED upon applying. The Marines site was too convoluted for me to wade through. I'm not plenty smart enough.

I thought it was grad or GED.