A group of 19 House Republicans asked Sen. John Kerry (D.-Mass.) to apologize Tuesday for a remarks the GOP lawmakers said were "disrespectful and condescending" toward America's troops.

At a campaign rally in California yesterday, Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." (See Amanda Carpenter's earlier report.)

Republican reaction has been swift. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio) called Kerry's comments "insulting to the men and women serving in our military." White House spokesman Tony Snow said, "Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this."

Kerry fired back at his Republican critics: "I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have."

The letter from the 19 House Republicans was organized by Rep. Jack Kingston (R.-Ga.), vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. The complete text of the letter, along with those who signed it, is below.

Senator John Kerry
304 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Kerry:

We are writing to express our outrage over your recent disrespectful and condescending comments concerning our brave troops in Iraq. We demand that you offer a clear and simple apology, without caveat or explanation, to America's finest.

In case you don't remember, you told a recent campaign audience, "You know education, if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." We don't know how many of our soldiers you have met, but they are the best and brightest that our nation has to offer and unlike you, Senator, they do not believe they are "stuck in Iraq."

Senator Kerry, it is bad enough that you disparage their mission at every chance you get, that you ignore any signs of progress or hope, that like the mainstream media you focus only on the bad news and ignore the good news that American troops and their Iraqi allies are bringing to Iraqi families every day, and that you offer no alternatives and no plan for victory in Iraq or in the larger War on Terror. Sadly, this seems to have become a pattern: blame America first and disparage the men and women who serve so bravely in our defense.

We hope you will quickly and clearly apologize and in the future think about those who are in danger, so far away, so that we may remain free to exercise the freedoms here that they are bringing to millions of people over there.

Sincerely,

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL)
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC0
Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN0
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX)
Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL)
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO)
Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN)
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA)
Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI)
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)
Rep. John Peterson (R-PA)
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)

UPDATE -- 9:26 p.m.: Kingston's office reports that 10 more members have signed on to the letter since it went out this afternoon. They include Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Barbara Cubin (R-WY), Sam Johnson (R-TX), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Steve King (R-IA), John Sullivan (R-OK), Mike Sodrel (R-IN), John Doolittle (R-CA) and Darrell Issa (R-CA).

UPDATE -- November 1, 6:45 p.m.: Two more Republicans signed on to the letter today, bringing the total to 31. The new additions were Representatives Mike Pence (R-IN) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL).