WASHINGTON -- The White House and Dale 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 an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "This is an absolute insult."

"Yeah, an absolute insult", agreed Dale, adding that Senator Kerry is a "piece of shit".

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran and Bush's rival in 2004, fired back, saying the president and his administration and Dale are the ones who owe U.S. troops an apology because they "misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it."

"This is the classic GOP playbook," Kerry said in a harshly worded statement. "I'm sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did. I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium or Dale."

Press Secretary Tony Snow had no comment on Dale's assessment of Senator Kerry as a "piece of shit". Snow did say however that "Dale sure has a way with words" and that he would "probably make a fine Fox News commentator or Presidential Press Secretary just like me."