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borgslayer
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 Mon Sep 20, 2004 4:58 pm Kerry Attacks Bush's Iraq Plans |
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| Quote: | NEW YORK (CNN) -- In his most aggressive and detailed speech on Iraq to date, Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry on Monday accused President Bush of creating "a crisis of historic proportions" and warned of the possibility of "a war with no end in sight."
Positioning himself as the candidate offering a "smarter direction," Kerry also laid out a series of steps that he said could allow U.S. troops to be brought home within four years.
"Let me put it plainly: The president's policy in Iraq has not strengthened our national security, it has weakened it," Kerry told a receptive crowd at New York University. (Special report: America Votes 2004)
"The president claims it is the centerpiece of his war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against our greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists. Invading Iraq has created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight."
Kerry said Saddam Hussein "was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell. But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war. ... We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."
Referring to Bush's remark that the war was a "catastrophic success," Kerry said the president "has made a series of catastrophic decisions. ... At every fork in the road, he has taken the wrong turn, and he has led us in the wrong direction."
Kerry's comments came as his campaign seeks a resurgence and a day after two key Republicans, Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana and John McCain of Arizona, sharply criticized Bush over Iraq.
Kerry spoke hours before Bush was scheduled to speak in New York. (Bush defends Iraq policy amid bipartisan criticism)
After the speech, Danielle Pletka, an adviser to the Bush-Cheney campaign, complained that Kerry "can't decide how he feels about Iraq."
At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Vice President Dick Cheney also accused Kerry of altering his position on Iraq -- part of the "flip-flopper" argument Republicans frequently level against the Democrat.
"[It] depends on what day of the week it is when you catch John Kerry ... whether he's supportive of what we are trying to do or wants to change it or retreat. It's difficult to tell," Cheney said.
He added that a president who does not make a decision and stick to it could show "confusion and weakness, uncertainty."
But Kerry, in what his campaign billed as a "major" address, argued he has held steady on his stance over Iraq -- and he accused the Bush administration of misleading people. He said Bush failed to tell the truth from the beginning in describing the threat from Iraq and the burden the war would impose on the United States.
Bush's two main rationales for war -- that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that there were operational links between Saddam's regime and al Qaeda -- "have been proved false by the president's own weapons inspectors and by the 9/11 commission," Kerry said.
Americans "are less likely to trust this administration if it needs to summon their support to meet real and pressing threats to our security," he said. "Other countries will be reluctant to follow America when we seek to rally them against a common menace."
He said Bush squandered an opportunity after the September 11 attacks, when countries around the world were standing alongside the United States in the battle against terrorism. Rather than isolating the terrorists, Bush "left America isolated from the world," he said.
Kerry accused Bush of "colossal failures of judgment -- and judgment is what we look for in a president." The administration's policy "has been plagued by a lack of planning, an absence of candor, arrogance and outright incompetence," he added. "And the president has held no one accountable, including himself."
He also said Bush's actions "precipitated the very problem he said he was trying to prevent" because Iraq became a magnet for international terrorists following the war.
Kerry argued the war has pulled attention and resources away from grave threats. "Nuclear dangers have mounted across the globe. The international terrorist club has expanded. Radicalism in the Middle East is on the rise. We have divided our friends and united our enemies. And our standing in the world is at an all-time low."
He added, "Today, because of George Bush's policy in Iraq, the world is a more dangerous place for America and Americans."
Kerry voted in favor of a 2002 resolution to authorize military action as an option in dealing with Iraq. Although the Bush campaign often says that vote contradicts his current stance, Kerry insisted it was the right call.
"Any president would have needed that threat of force to act effectively. This president misused that authority," he said.
He complained Bush "rushed to war" without letting weapons inspectors finish their work, without a "broad and deep coalition of allies" and without "understanding or preparing for the consequences of the postwar. None of which I would have done.
"Yet today, President Bush tells us that he would do everything all over again, the same way. How can he possibly be serious? Is he really saying to America that if we know there was no imminent threat, no weapons of mass destruction, no ties to al Qaeda, the United States should have invaded Iraq? My answer: resoundingly no, because a commander in chief's first responsibility is to make a wise and responsible decision to keep America safe."
Kerry said he would have "concentrated all our power and resources on defeating global terrorism" and capturing or killing bin Laden, and he would have "tightened the noose" on Saddam so he would pose "no threat to the region or to the United States."
"The president's insistence that he would do the same thing all over again in Iraq is a clear warning for the future," he said.
Kerry warned that if re-elected, Bush "will cling to the same failed policies in Iraq -- and he will repeat, somewhere else, the same reckless mistakes that have made America less secure than we can or should be."
Insisting that he has long "set out specific recommendations," Kerry laid out a four-point plan:
First, Bush should convene the world's major powers and Iraq's neighbors to insist they make good on a U.N. resolution calling for international troop contributions and financial assistance, he said.
"He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles. ... He should give other countries a stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process," he said.
Second, Kerry said, Bush "must get serious about training Iraqi security forces."
He pointed to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's recent statement that Iraq has 95,000 trained security forces -- down from more than 200,000 the administration was previously touting. Kerry said that far fewer are fully trained.
Third, he said, Bush "must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people."
And finally, Kerry said, the president "must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee that the promised elections can be held next year."
If he would move in this direction and take all the necessary steps, "we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring our troops home within the next four years. That can be achieved."
He added, "The president often says that in a post-9/11 world, we can't hesitate to act. I agree. But we should not act just for the sake of acting. I believe we have to act wisely and responsibly. George Bush has no strategy for Iraq. I do, and I have all along."
The Bush campaign is expected to issue a detailed response to the speech.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/20/kerry.iraq/index.html |
-= My Comments =-
This has got to be the biggest attack on Bush. To be quite honest John Kerry made a ton of good points.
Do read the statements...
In this attacks John Kerry also adds his own plans which does make sense.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Mon Sep 20, 2004 5:10 pm Re: Kerry Attacks Bush's Iraq Plans |
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| borgslayer wrote: | | Quote: | NEW YORK (CNN) -- In his most aggressive and detailed speech on Iraq to date, Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry on Monday accused President Bush of creating "a crisis of historic proportions" and warned of the possibility of "a war with no end in sight."
Positioning himself as the candidate offering a "smarter direction," Kerry also laid out a series of steps that he said could allow U.S. troops to be brought home within four years.
"Let me put it plainly: The president's policy in Iraq has not strengthened our national security, it has weakened it," Kerry told a receptive crowd at New York University. (Special report: America Votes 2004)
"The president claims it is the centerpiece of his war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against our greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists. Invading Iraq has created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight."
Bah! That is NOT what you said at the beginning of the war and not to long ago, Mr. Kerry. AGAIN you are contradicting yourself.
Kerry said Saddam Hussein "was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell. But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war. ... We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."
Yeah, and it WASN'T the main reason for war! You know that--you voted for the war.
Referring to Bush's remark that the war was a "catastrophic success," Kerry said the president "has made a series of catastrophic decisions. ... At every fork in the road, he has taken the wrong turn, and he has led us in the wrong direction."
My gosh! I disagree. He's lead us in the RIGHT direction, not the wrong.
Kerry's comments came as his campaign seeks a resurgence and a day after two key Republicans, Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana and John McCain of Arizona, sharply criticized Bush over Iraq.
Kerry spoke hours before Bush was scheduled to speak in New York. (Bush defends Iraq policy amid bipartisan criticism)
Of course Bush does, and he's right in doing so.
After the speech, Danielle Pletka, an adviser to the Bush-Cheney campaign, complained that Kerry "can't decide how he feels about Iraq."
EXACTLY! I don't know WHERE he is now. I think he's against it now, but I don't know. He changes his view daily.
At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Vice President Dick Cheney also accused Kerry of altering his position on Iraq -- part of the "flip-flopper" argument Republicans frequently level against the Democrat.
Duh! And it's SO true.
"[It] depends on what day of the week it is when you catch John Kerry ... whether he's supportive of what we are trying to do or wants to change it or retreat. It's difficult to tell," Cheney said.
Cheney's got it!
He added that a president who does not make a decision and stick to it could show "confusion and weakness, uncertainty."
Yes, and that's what Kerry would be.
But Kerry, in what his campaign billed as a "major" address, argued he has held steady on his stance over Iraq -- and he accused the Bush administration of misleading people. He said Bush failed to tell the truth from the beginning in describing the threat from Iraq and the burden the war would impose on the United States.
My gosh! SURE he's stayed steady! That's a load of crap! He is CHANGING his mind YET again and has changed it MANY times before. Didn't tell the truth! Bah! Then you didn't either.
Bush's two main rationales for war -- that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that there were operational links between Saddam's regime and al Qaeda -- "have been proved false by the president's own weapons inspectors and by the 9/11 commission," Kerry said.
As of now, yes, and? Does that mean that he lied? That he mislead us? NO.
Americans "are less likely to trust this administration if it needs to summon their support to meet real and pressing threats to our security," he said. "Other countries will be reluctant to follow America when we seek to rally them against a common menace."
He said Bush squandered an opportunity after the September 11 attacks, when countries around the world were standing alongside the United States in the battle against terrorism. Rather than isolating the terrorists, Bush "left America isolated from the world," he said.
That's a load of balony. What the heck? That is NOT true, you spinner. Tell that to all the 47 countries that helped us out.
Kerry accused Bush of "colossal failures of judgment -- and judgment is what we look for in a president." The administration's policy "has been plagued by a lack of planning, an absence of candor, arrogance and outright incompetence," he added. "And the president has held no one accountable, including himself."
OUTRIGHT INVOMPETENCE! My gosh Kerry, such HARSH attacks. You are pretty much a jerk right about now.
He also said Bush's actions "precipitated the very problem he said he was trying to prevent" because Iraq became a magnet for international terrorists following the war.
Well OF COURSE. And that makes it even more of a front.
Kerry argued the war has pulled attention and resources away from grave threats. "Nuclear dangers have mounted across the globe. The international terrorist club has expanded. Radicalism in the Middle East is on the rise. We have divided our friends and united our enemies. And our standing in the world is at an all-time low."
He added, "Today, because of George Bush's policy in Iraq, the world is a more dangerous place for America and Americans."
My goodness gracious! That is SO untrue, you slimy attacker of a Presidential Candidate.
Kerry voted in favor of a 2002 resolution to authorize military action as an option in dealing with Iraq. Although the Bush campaign often says that vote contradicts his current stance, Kerry insisted it was the right call.
"Any president would have needed that threat of force to act effectively. This president misused that authority," he said.
Not true. You flip-flopper, trying to spin your way around that.
He complained Bush "rushed to war" without letting weapons inspectors finish their work, without a "broad and deep coalition of allies" and without "understanding or preparing for the consequences of the postwar. None of which I would have done.
WRONG. Why would you vote for war, then?
"Yet today, President Bush tells us that he would do everything all over again, the same way. How can he possibly be serious? Is he really saying to America that if we know there was no imminent threat, no weapons of mass destruction, no ties to al Qaeda, the United States should have invaded Iraq? My answer: resoundingly no, because a commander in chief's first responsibility is to make a wise and responsible decision to keep America safe."
1. If he would do everything all over again, then there would still be the possibility of a threat. YOU even said it yourself that under the circumstances that we have now you would have STILL VOTED FOR THE WAR!
2. LIE. It has been PROVEN that Iraq and Qaeda have links, and you know that!
This is TOTAL contradiction of yourself, Mr. Kerry.
Kerry said he would have "concentrated all our power and resources on defeating global terrorism" and capturing or killing bin Laden, and he would have "tightened the noose" on Saddam so he would pose "no threat to the region or to the United States."
If there was an imminent threat, you now wouldn't have gone to war?
"The president's insistence that he would do the same thing all over again in Iraq is a clear warning for the future," he said.
Kerry warned that if re-elected, Bush "will cling to the same failed policies in Iraq -- and he will repeat, somewhere else, the same reckless mistakes that have made America less secure than we can or should be."
Insisting that he has long "set out specific recommendations," Kerry laid out a four-point plan:
First, Bush should convene the world's major powers and Iraq's neighbors to insist they make good on a U.N. resolution calling for international troop contributions and financial assistance, he said.
"He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles. ... He should give other countries a stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process," he said.
Second, Kerry said, Bush "must get serious about training Iraqi security forces."
He's been VERY serious! Have you seen what's going on there?
He pointed to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's recent statement that Iraq has 95,000 trained security forces -- down from more than 200,000 the administration was previously touting. Kerry said that far fewer are fully trained.
Third, he said, Bush "must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people."
And finally, Kerry said, the president "must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee that the promised elections can be held next year."
If he would move in this direction and take all the necessary steps, "we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring our troops home within the next four years. That can be achieved."
He added, "The president often says that in a post-9/11 world, we can't hesitate to act. I agree. But we should not act just for the sake of acting. I believe we have to act wisely and responsibly. George Bush has no strategy for Iraq. I do, and I have all along."
The Bush campaign is expected to issue a detailed response to the speech.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/20/kerry.iraq/index.html |
-= My Comments =-
This has got to be the biggest attack on Bush. To be quite honest John Kerry made a ton of good points.
Do read the statements...
In this attacks John Kerry also adds his own plans which does make sense. |
Yes, it is the biggest attack. He makes NO good points, and his plans do not make sense. This is full of crap. He's flip-flopped too many times.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Mon Sep 20, 2004 9:28 pm |
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A related story:
| Quote: | Bush Blasts Kerry for Iraq Waffling
NEW YORK � President Bush (search) accused his Democratic rival Monday of a pattern of waffling and leaving behind a trail of contradictory positions on the war in Iraq (search).
"Today my opponent continued his pattern of twisting in the wind," Bush said at a rally in New Hampshire. "He apparently woke up this morning and has now decided, no, we should not have invaded Iraq, after just last month saying he would have voted for force even knowing everything we know today."
John Kerry (search), a four-term Massachusetts senator, voted to give Bush authority to wage the war; the presidential hopeful said in August he would have voted that way even had he known there were no banned weapons in Iraq.
"Incredibly, he now believes our national security would be stronger with Saddam Hussein (search) in power and not in prison," Bush said. "He's saying he prefers the stability of a dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy.
"I couldn't disagree more, and not so long ago, so did my opponent," Bush added, quoting Kerry as saying recently, "Those who believe we are not safer with his capture don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president."
Bush campaign officials had promised an attack that would accuse the Democratic senator of advocating a "retreat and defeat" policy in Iraq.
Earlier in the day, Kerry told supporters during a campaign stop that no responsible commander in chief would have invaded Iraq knowing Saddam didn't possess weapons of mass destruction and wasn't an imminent threat to the United States.
"Yet today, President Bush tells us that he would do everything all over again, the same way. How can he possibly be serious?" the candidate said during a speech New York University, where he slammed Bush on all things Iraq.
He said Monday that Bush's actions could lead to an unending war.
Kerry makes a distinction between his vote, as a senator, to grant Bush war-making authority and Bush, as commander in chief, actually taking that fateful step. Republicans have accused Kerry of flip-flopping on the war and other issues.
Kerry's speech came one day before of Bush's scheduled address to the U.N. General Assembly. Bush planned to strike back at Kerry's increasingly aggressive criticism on Iraq, aides said.
Bush attends a fund raiser for the Republican National Committee in New York City on Monday night.
Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said Kerry's goal of pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq in his first term sends "a clear signal of defeat and retreat to America's enemies that will make the world a far more dangerous place."
Bush had a warm reception in New Hampshire, the only state in New England that he carried in 2000 and where he holds a lead over Kerry.
Just six weeks before the presidential election, a new poll of Massachusetts voters puts Bush ahead of Kerry in New Hampshire. The Mason-Dixon poll for MSNBC and Knight-Ridder had Bush at 49 percent and Kerry at 40 percent. The poll of 625 likely voters was conducted Monday through Wednesday. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
A poll in August and two in late July showed Bush and Kerry about even or Kerry slightly ahead in New Hampshire.
Kerry: 'We Have Traded a Dictator for a Chaos'
Kerry said Monday of Bush, "Is he really saying to Americans that if we had known there were no imminent threat, no weapons of mass destruction, no ties to Al Qaeda, the United States should have invaded Iraq? My answer is resoundingly no because a commander in chief's first responsibility is to make a wise and responsible decision to keep America safe."
"Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell," Kerry said. "But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war. The satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said after the Massachusetts senator missed almost 24 open oversight hearings on Iraq, in which lawmakers were given chances to offer "timely criticism" and to help Bush shape U.S. policy.
"Without offering any alternative plans that our Committee and the American people could debate, Senator Kerry has tried to argue that President Bush is concealing the truth and the potential that events in Iraq will become worse," Lugar's statement said. "In fact, with the participation of the administration, we have been publicly airing and examining all scenarios, including the worst outcomes."
Kerry offered his own four-point plan starting with pressing other nations for help.
� Get more help from other nations.
� Provide better training for Iraqi security forces.
� Provide benefits to the Iraqi people.
� Ensure that democratic elections can be held next year as promised.
"If the president would move in this direction ... we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years," Kerry said. "This policy has been plagued by a lack of planning, an absence of candor, arrogance and outright incompetence."
Kerry said Bush's two main rationales � weapons of mass destruction and a connection between Al Qaeda and the Sept. 11 attacks � have been proven false so far by weapons inspectors and the bipartisan commission investigating the attacks.
Bush "hitched his wagon to the ideologues who surround him, filtering out those who disagreed, including leaders of his own party and the uniformed military," Kerry said. "The result is a long litany of misjudgments with terrible consequences."
Republicans Speak Up
Some Republicans are also voicing concern about the president's leadership in Iraq. Lugar said problems with reconstruction show there is "incompetence in the administration" and noted that Congress appropriated $18.4 billion a year ago this week for reconstruction. No more than $1 billion has been spent.
"This is the incompetence in the administration," Lugar said on ABC's "This Week."
Lugar added that the United States needs to train more Iraqi police officers and better coordinate military bombings with Iraqi forces "so that we do not alienate further the Iraqi people by intrusions that are very difficult and are costly in terms of lives."
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told "FOX News Sunday" that he would like to see the president be more clear about the dangers in Iraq.
The former POW said Bush was not being "as straight as we would want him to be" about the situation.
Some lawmakers even invoked Vietnam.
"The fact is, a crisp, sharp analysis of our policies is required. We didn't do that in Vietnam, and we saw 11 years of casualties mount to the point where we finally lost," Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran who is co-chairman of Bush's re-election committee in Nebraska, said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
FOX News' Wendell Goler and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
Source
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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