This may be the worst thing said yet by a Presidential candidate; even as Muqtada al-Sadr’s goons are killing coalition soldiers, John Kerry told NPR this morning that al-Sadr and his jihad newspaper are a legitimate voice. (Hat tip: Jihad Watch.)

In an interview broadcast Wednesday morning, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry defended terrorist Shiite imam Moqtada al-Sadr as a “legitimate voice” in Iraq, despite that fact that he’s led an uprising that has killed nearly 20 American GIs in the last two days.

Speaking of al-Sadr’s newspaper, which was shut down by coalition forces last week after it urged violence against U.S. troops, Kerry complained to National Public Radio, “They shut a newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq.”

In the next breath, however, the White House hopeful caught himself and quickly changed direction, adding, “Well, let me … change the term legitimate. It belongs to a voice — because he has clearly taken on a far more radical tone in recent days and aligned himself with both Hamas and Hezbollah, which is a sort of terrorist alignment.”

“Sort of?” Hamas and Hizballah are “sort of” terrorists? God save us if this man is elected president.