Skip to Content

It’s amazing to think that when Rick Perry entered the GOP presidential race last summer, he did so as the frontrunner, only to sink like a stone in the ensuing months.

On second thought, maybe it’s not that amazing.

The Texas Governor defended the Marines urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan, while accusing Barack Obama’s administration of “disdain for the military.”

“Obviously, 18 and 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often. And that’s what’s occurred here,” the Republican candidate told CNN’s State of the Union.

Saying the Marines should be reprimanded but not prosecuted, Perry railed against the “over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military.”

The Hollywood Gossip Logo

A military criminal investigation is ongoing after the video, which purportedly shows four Marines urinating on corpses of slain Taliban soldiers, went viral last week.

Perry’s comments put him at odds with … well, pretty much every other political leader, including those in his own party such as Sen. John McCain, who said:

“The Marine Corps prides itself that we don’t lower ourselves to the level of the enemy. So it makes me sad more than anything else, because … I can’t tell you how wonderful these people (Marines) are. And it hurts their reputation and their image.”

“We’re trying to win the hearts and minds” of the Afghan population, McCain added. “And when something like that comes up, it obviously harms that ability.”

Well put … and pretty much what Obama has said as well.

No one has been charged in the case, but U.S. and foreign officials have called for swift punishment of the four Marines for their actions in the video (above).