From his website:

Statement of Senator John Kerry

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 never intended to refer to any troop.

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.

It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. 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.

Sigh.  You could have just made the damn apology, why editorialize it?

Typical.

But the apology is done, so let’s see where this goes now.

More at Breitbart:

Kerry Apologizes for Remark About Troops

Thrust into the midst of the midterm election campaign, Sen. John Kerry apologized Wednesday to "any service member, family member or American who was offended" by remarks deemed by Republicans and Democrats alike to be insulting to U.S. forces in Iraq.

Six days before the election, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee said he sincerely regretted his words were "misinterpreted to imply anything negative about those in uniform."

In a brief statement, Kerry attacked President Bush for a "failed security policy." Yet his apology, issued after prominent Democrats had urged him to cancel public appearances, was designed to quell a controversy that party leaders feared would stall their drive for big gains on Nov. 7.

Kerry beat a gradual retreat in his return to the national campaign spotlight. Earlier in the day, appearing on the radio program "Imus in the Morning," the Massachusetts senator said he was "sorry about a botched joke" about President Bush. He heaped praise on the troops, adamantly accused Republicans of twisting his words and said it was the commander in chief and his aides who "owe America an apology for this disaster in Iraq."

Democrats cringed, though, at the prospect of the Massachusetts senator becoming the face of the party for the second consecutive national campaign. "No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

A congressional candidate in Iowa said swiftly he no longer wanted him to appear at a scheduled rally. Kerry abandoned plans to attend events in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. "Whatever the intent, Senator Kerry was wrong to say what he said. He needs to apologize to our troops," said Rep. Harold Ford Jr., locked in a close Senate race in Tennessee.

"It was a real dumb thing to say. He should say sorry," added Claire McCaskill, the Democrat in an equally tight Senate campaign in Missouri.

The White House accepted Kerry’s statement as a legitimate apology.

"Senator Kerry’s apology to the troops for his insulting comments came late but it was the right thing to do," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.

She said it was too soon to say whether the White House would now stop noting the controversy. "We’ll see," Perino said. "Once he has apologized, I don’t know that there is anything more to say."

Moments after Kerry issued his statement, House Majority Leader John Boehner said, "I think he has apologized. It sounds good enough." He spoke on CNN.

The Whitehouse response:

Sen Kerry’s apology to the troops for his insulting comments came late, but it was the right thing to do. Our military is the best and the brightest, the most courageous and professional or an military in the world and the President is honored to be their Commander-in-Chief

UPDATE:  Move America Forward has rejected the apology.  Via Stop the ACLU

STATEMENT BY MELANIE MORGAN, CHAIR – MOVE AMERICA FORWARD

“Your non-apology is not accepted, Senator Kerry.

“John Kerry has done it again! He has sunk to a new low by managing to insult the American people and members of the United States military in his issuance of a non-apology. Rather then apologizing for the hurtful words he used, he instead says he regrets that his words were misinterpreted? [Source: Kerry statement, “I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted…” ]

“So apparently it is the fault of the American public, news media and the men and women of the United States Military for not being smart enough to understand what Senator Kerry meant to say?

“The American public understands what he really said. There is no mistaking his contempt for our troops. He has a long history of name-calling, and now he refuses to apologize for his conduct. Instead he says it’s all our fault.

“Shame on you, Senator Kerry.”

Wow.

Dean Barnett has an interesting take on it.  This part I find I echo:

I should acknowledge an awareness that some people, even conservative people, think Kerry’s boner was an attempted joke about the president that went terribly awry. While I don’t buy this contention and find it to be quite frankly ludicrous, even if we said for the sake of argument that this excuse is the 100% unvarnished truth, this event would still matter.

If Senator Kerry misspoke (as he claims) and in so doing caused great offense (which is undeniable), why can’t he just apologize? Furthermore, why are so many active Democrats so opposed to the notion of Kerry apologizing?

Exactly.

Also at Hot Air where Allah is ready to move on, along with Ponnuru and JPod; Rightwinged; 7.62mm Justice;  Slublog;  Stop the ACLU; Bill’s Bites; snapped shot The Political Pit Bull; Leather Penguin, Michelle Malkin, Mark Levine, Captains Journal, LGF, Bizzy, Stunt Shack, Inoperable Terran, Mark Steyn, posted to Sister Toldjah, Texas Rainmaker, Java Zen; Fore Left; Ironic Surrealism; Right Wing Nut House, Wake Up America; Tammy Bruce; Anchoress; Riehl World; Blackfive; Hugh Hewitt

And see the comments and such at the John Kerry Blog.  They love him there, and most comments didn’t want him to apologize.

Wierd.  It is interesting watching as both sides are splitting different ways on their reactions.

For example, see the comments at Daily Kos….

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