A political row has broken out in the United States over remarks made on the Iraq war by the Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate, John Kerry.
Ahead of next week's mid-term Congressional elections, Mr Kerry drew criticism from President George W Bush for saying college students could 'get stuck in Iraq' if they did not study hard.
Mr Kerry refused to apologise and said his remark was a botched joke aimed at the president, and not at US troops serving in Iraq.
Campaigning in Georgia, President Bush quickly seized on the controversy.
'The senator's suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and it is shameful,' he told a campaign rally.
With the war a dominant issue in the elections, Mr Kerry's comments are seen as giving Republicans a chance to fight back, after opinion polls indicated they will struggle to maintain control of both Houses of Congress.
