This story has been out there for a few days, and this is CNN’s
version: "Sen. John F. Kerry’s grade average at Yale University was virtually identical to President Bush’s record there, despite repeated portrayals of Kerry as the more intellectual candidate during the 2004 presidential campaign." Bush received one "D" in four years (in astronomy), while Kerry had four. Kerry’s records (part of the Navy file) were just released last month. Bush had a cumulative average of 77%, while Kerry’s was 76%. I have decided to release my records from Cal State, Northridge: My cumulative undergraduate record was about 78 (and I flunked both a physics and a Russian class), but Yale’s tougher. I understand that.
Update: A reader points out that Kerry had five D’s, not 4 (he had four as a freshman). I miscounted. I also flunked math once.
Peter, Kerry actually had five Ds, not four. He received four Ds in his freshman year.
You flunked Russian? Kak uzhasno! (How terrible!)
To Krasniy Russkiy: Let me explain. I was following a good looking woman down the hall during registration. She went up to a table to register for classes. I followed. I said to the guy behind the desk, put me in the same class you just put her in, and he did. The first day of class I sat next to her and quickly realized it was a Russian class. OK, know the language of your enemies, I thought. Stuck with it for a few weeks until it became clear that she wasn’t interested in talking to a handsome and thoughtful intellectual. So I stopped coming to class and forgot to drop it. Hence I failed twice.