Is Kerry Ever Responsible For Anything?

Recently, Kerry was quoted by Outdoor Life magazine as follows: "My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam," said Mr. Kerry, a veteran, according to the October issue. "I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."

An assault rifle? Didn't John Kerry just rip President Bush a new one because he didn't push hard enough to extend the misnamed assault weapons ban? Why yes, he did.

Needless to say, more than one observer noticed an irony that escaped the highly intelligent and nuanced Mr. Kerry.

So, guess what? It was inaccurate. The fault lies with a staffer who filled out the Outdoor Life questionaire for Kerry.

Michael Meehan, a spokesman for the campaign, said Mr. Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, owns two guns, a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun and the rifle, which Mr. Meehan said Mr. Kerry "keeps as a relic" and had never fired. Mr. Meehan said the gun had no make or model markings on it and that Mr. Kerry "got it from a friend years ago," adding that such rifles were first manufactured in Russia more than 100 years ago and were used by the North Koreans and the Vietcong.

At least he didn't blame it on his wife, as he did with his "family's" SUV.