Under pressure from many Democrats, John Kerry apologised on Wednesday, two days after appearing to tell college students that if they did not get an education, “you get stuck in Iraq”.

In a written statement, Senator Kerry said his words had been “misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologise to any service member, family member, or American who was offended”.

The botched joke not only sapped momentum from his party in the final week of campaigning for the midterm congressional elections, it also dealt a blow to his 2008 White House aspirations.

Senator Kerry cancelled campaign appearances in three states, saying he did not want to be a “distraction”.

Fellow Democrats worry that his words have made their party’s candidates vulnerable to accusations of insensitivity towards the troops in the final week of an election in which Democrats seemed to be benefiting from voters’ distaste for the Iraq war.

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