Kerry responds to right-wing chickenhawk "nut-jobs"; Update: Source says comments were a joke gone wrong  —  We have ourselves a meltdown. … There's more.  The nutroots will eat this up with a spoon, of course, but you almost have to pity the poor bastards at the DNC.

GOP, Kerry launch war of words over Iraq comment … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republicans unleashed a firestorm of criticism Tuesday against Sen. John Kerry after the Vietnam veteran told college students they'd "get stuck in Iraq" if they didn't work hard in school.

White House Spokesman Slams Kerry Remark  —  The White House accused Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday of troop-bashing, seizing on a comment the Democrat made to California students that those unable to navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."  —  "Senator Kerry not only owes …

JOHN KERRY — a gift that keeps on giving.  Unfortunately, it's a gift for the Republicans. . . .  Kerry's suggestion that the troops in Iraq are dumb failures is not only reprehensible, but false on the facts.  In other words, a typical Kerry performance, just in time for the elections.

White House, Kerry Exchange Accusations  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House and Sen. John Kerry traded their harshest accusations since the 2004 presidential race on Tuesday, with President Bush accusing the Democrat of troop-bashing and Kerry calling the president's men hacks who are "willing to lie."

Kerry's Mangled Statement a Distraction —updated  —  Not pretty and caught on tape.  —  Below is what Kerry actually meant to say, which I got straight from the Kerry team, which Kerry uses all the time. … He screwed it up.  Period.  Hey, but the wingnuts don't care.  And now it's on tape!

Look- A Rabbit  —  See- you just have to vote Republican now: … A general rule of thumb regarding controversies like this is to count how many posts Michelle Malkin has about the issue, and to note that there is a positive correlation to how trivial the matter is and how many posts she has about it.

BREAKING: Virginia GOP Senator George Allen staffers tackle/assault man asking Allen question at event  —  UPDATE: AP now has the story.  CNN showed the video.  —  UPDATE: The man assaulted is Mike Stark, a first year law student at the University of Virginia.

No sex, please: You're 20-somethings  —  As the GOP asked recently, what are the stakes in the Nov. 7 election?  Well, one complaint you hear a lot about the current Republican regime is that they want to regulate what people do in the bedroom.  Sometimes that sounds like political hyberbole …

U.S. obeys order to abandon checkpoints  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops on Tuesday abandoned checkpoints around the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City on orders from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the latest in a series of moves by the Iraqi leader to assert his authority with the U.S. administration.