U.S. Senate-hopeful Harold Ford Junior tried to distance himself from Senator John Kerry at a Clarksville rally yesterday.
Ford spent the first part of yesterday stumping in Memphis with former President Bill Clinton, then he stopped in Clarksville with former General Wesley Clark. Early yesterday, the Ford campaign issued a statement calling for Kerry’s apology regarding remarks on the war in Iraq made earlier this week. Kerry was talking about education. He said, “you can do well. And if you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
The statement has drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Ford told reporters at the Clarksville event that the GOP is trying to sidestep a debate on the war by drawing attention to the remarks.
“John Kerry was wrong to say what he said. He apologized again in the last 30 minutes, but let’s not be distracted by that. The reality is we have a failed set of policies on the ground in Iraq. Had John Kerry not said what he said, we would still be faced with the same result we’re faced with today in Iraq.”
A handful of veterans of the armed services turned out for the Clarksville event after receiving personal invitations. General Clark told them the Republican Party has demonized people who question the war and encouraged military supporters vote for “change” in Washington.
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