Kerry/Kerrey?

John Kerry’s campaign staff had to do a little, uh, shall we say “backtracking” on a claim made on his website regarding alleged title he held back in the 1990’s on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on Intelligence:

John Kerry, Bob Kerrey. It’s easy to get confused.

At least that’s how the Kerry campaign is explaining claims that Kerry β€” the Democratic presidential candidate β€” served as vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Oops. Make that Bob Kerrey β€” the former Democratic senator from Nebraska who did serve as the panel’s vice chairman.

In news releases and postings on Kerry’s campaign Web site as recently as last Friday, the Massachusetts senator is touted as the panel’s former vice chairman. However, according to the Senate Historical Office, Kerry never had the seniority to hold a leadership position on the committee β€” though he was a member from 1993 until 2001.

“John Kerry, Bob Kerrey β€” similar names,” said Kerry campaign spokesman Michael Meehan, adding that any reference to Kerry as vice chairman was an error.

Republicans were less willing to see the misstatement as an innocent mistake.

“It’s difficult to take John Kerry’s claims about his intelligence experience seriously when one of his credentials is completely made up,” said Republican National Committee (news – web sites) spokeswoman Christine Iverson. “If he had shown up for Intelligence Committee hearings he would notice he wasn’t vice chairman.”

We”ll call this “Embellishmentgate II”.