WASHINGTON, Nov 1: Former US presidential candidate and a 2008 presidential helpful John Kerry cancelled his campaign appearances on Wednesday following a botched joke that has embarrassed the opposition Democrats across America.

His comments, coming less than a week before the mid-term congressional elections, also led Democratic candidates to distance himself from the senator.

"Whatever the intent, Senator Kerry was wrong to say what he said," said Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr., running for Senate in Tennessee.

"Sen Kerry's remarks were poorly worded and just plain stupid," said Jon Tester, a Democrat trying to unseat Republican Sen. Conrad Burns in Montana. "He owes our troops and their families an apology."

The controversy revolves around Mr Kerry’s comment, to a group of California students on Monday that people unable to succeed in the US educational system would likely "get stuck in Iraq." Mr Kerry says he merely botched a speech line written to be critical of President Bush.

President Bush immediately grasped the opportunity to get back at the Democrats who are leading all opinion polls for winning Tuesday’s mid-terms because of the unpopularity of his Iraq war policies.

"The senator's suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and shameful," Mr Bush said. "The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer armed forces are plenty smart and are serving because they are patriots -- and Sen. Kerry owes them an apology."

The White House continued the attack on Wednesday as well. Press Secretary Tony Snow said Mr Kerry "put gasoline on the fire" of an already sizzling midterm election campaign. And the Republican National Committee released a Web ad, to be e-mailed to GOP activists and state party officials, called "Apologize."

"Sen Kerry may have botched the line, but what he said was insulting to the troops, and what he ought to say is, 'Look, I botched the line, but I'm sorry for giving offence,' " Mr Snow said on CBS's "The Early Show."

By cancelling Mr Kerry’s campaign appearances for the next twp days, the Democrats are trying to ensure that the Republicans do not use the controversy to dampen their chances of re-capturing Congress in the mid-terms.

“He wants to make sure the campaign is about the issues we’ve been talking about the last two years,” a Democratic spokesperson told reporters about Mr Kerry’s decision. “It’s important to him that we are able to do that.”