Quote Originally Posted by Durka Prince
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry has apologized for a "poorly stated joke," which the Massachusetts senator said was aimed at the president but was widely perceived as a slam on U.S. troops.

"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," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday.

"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 [was] never intended to refer to any troop," he said.

In the statement, the four-term senator continued to assert that the GOP was using the gaffe to distract voters from its own shortcomings.

"It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy," he said. "I don't want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops."

President Bush and other Republicans had been calling on Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, to apologize to U.S. troops for telling college students in California Monday that if they didn't get an education, they would end up "stuck in Iraq." (Watch Kerry's falling star -- 1:53 )

The president denounced Kerry's remarks as "insulting" and "shameful" to U.S. service members. But Kerry insisted that his comment was actually a "botched" joke aimed at Bush, and he accused the White House and Republicans of trying to "distort" what he said for political advantage in next week's midterm elections.

One Republican who blasted Kerry's remarks -- House Majority Leader John Boehner -- found himself the target of Democratic calls for an apology Wednesday after comments he made defending Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. (Full story)

"Let's not blame what's happening in Iraq on Rumsfeld," he said.

"The fact is, the generals on the ground are in charge, and he works closely with them and the president," Boehner replied.

Both Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid interpreted that exchange as an attempt to blame U.S. generals for failings in Iraq, and they quickly demanded an apology.

In response, Boehner's spokesman, Kevin Madden, said the Democrats' criticism was "an obvious and weak attempt" to deflect criticism from Kerry.

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