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Kerry Raps (President) Bush on Rising Turmoil in Iraq
Yahoo! News ^ | 4/13/04 | Mike Glover - AP

Posted on 04/13/2004 10:08:43 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) on Tuesday demanded a "specific explanation" from President Bush (news - web sites) about how his prosecution of the war will lead to a shared goal of a stable Iraq (news - web sites).

"The last several weeks have made it even clearer to Americans than it was before that this mission is not only not accomplished, it is more challenged than perhaps at any time," Kerry said.

Speaking during a fund-raising lunch, Kerry toughened his criticism of Bush, pointing to the president's scheduled news conference Tuesday night against a backdrop of rising violence in Iraq. He said Bush likely will deal with "the instability in Iraq" in the rare prime-time televised meeting with reporters.

"I believe it is important for the president to not just share with all Americans what we all believe. We know we must succeed, we know we are committed to having a stable Iraq," Kerry said. "The president owes Americans a specific explanation of exactly how we are going to achieve that."

But after watching the president on television, Kerry said Bush "offered no specific plan whatsoever" for stabilizing the situation in Iraq. "Rather, the president made it clear that he intends to stubbornly cling to the same policy that has led to a greater risk to American troops and a steadily higher cost to the American taxpayer," he said in a written statement.

The Massachusetts senator said his comments earlier in the day were timed to coincide with the approaching anniversary of Bush landing on an aircraft carrier to announce the end to major combat in Iraq.

On May 1, 2003, the president donned a flight suit and landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Speaking under a banner that declared "Mission Accomplished," Bush appeared to be declaring victory in the war.

Kerry said, "Now we know with an incredible collapse of security in Iraq, we know to what degree those words 'mission accomplished' missed the mark and to what degree we remain challenged today."

In addition, Kerry renewed his criticism of what he sees as Bush's unilateral approach to the war.

"As we stand here today, America is carrying virtually the entire burden in Iraq," he said. "I believe that our policies must change."

In a statement, Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt responded: "It's outrageous that Senator Kerry would blame the violence and the attacks made by the insurgents on the administration. Senator Kerry does not seem to understand that it is the terrorists who are to blame for the violence in Iraq."

Kerry planned to focus the week on soaring college costs while touring campuses, but was finding the campaign dominated by unrest in Iraq and the growing violence.

When a questioner pressed him to concede that the United States had made a mistake in Iraq, Kerry said: "I think we've already made it clear, many of us, that the way the president went about this was more than a mistake, in the sense that the president broke promises. ... He promised he would go to war as a last resort. He broke every one of those promises."

With the increasing violence in Iraq, the war has taken a more prominent place in the campaign's debate. Kerry routinely chides Bush for not broadening the effort to include more nations.

"I think this is one of the great failures in judgment about how you take a nation to war," he said.

Kerry, writing in a column in Tuesday's editions of The Washington Post, said the military alone cannot win peace in Iraq and called for "a political strategy that will work."

"Because of the way the White House has run the war, we are left with the United States bearing most of the costs and risks associated with every aspect of the Iraqi transition," Kerry wrote. "We have lost lives, time, momentum and credibility. And we are seeing increasing numbers of Iraqis lashing out at the United States to express their frustration over what the Bush administration has and hasn't done."

Kerry praised the Bush administration for recently asking U.N. representative Lakhdar Brahimi to help develop a formula for an interim Iraqi government. But he said Brahimi's mission will be undermined unless the United States pledges in advance to support any plan he proposes that gains the support of Iraqi leaders.

Kerry said the United States must attract more international troops to serve on the ground in Iraq and urged the government to make the United Nations (news - web sites) a full partner in developing Iraq's transition to a new government. He said Bush should also ask NATO (news - web sites) to create a new out-of-area operation for Iraq under the lead of a U.S. commander to help the United States get more troops from major powers.

While being critical of Bush's Iraq policy, Kerry took time to raise money. He brought in $1 million at the Providence lunch, and did even better at a big event Tuesday night in Boston, where he raised $4 million for his campaign and another $1 million for the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites).

___

On the Net:

Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Rhode Island; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; iraq; kerry; pissant; raps; rising; turmoil

1 posted on 04/13/2004 10:08:44 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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2 posted on 04/13/2004 10:10:52 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Become a FR Monthly Donor ... Kerry thread archive @ /~normsrevenge)
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Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator John Kerry (news - web sites) (D-MA) speaks to supporters at a fundraising campaign rally in Boston, Massachusetts April 13, 2004. Kerry challenged President George W. Bush (news - web sites) Tuesday to offer a clear plan for a stable Iraq (news - web sites) and called for more direct diplomacy to win international support. REUTERS/Brian Snyder US ELECTION


3 posted on 04/13/2004 10:13:32 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Become a FR Monthly Donor ... Kerry thread archive @ /~normsrevenge)
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U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy intorduces Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator John Kerry (news - web sites) (D-MA) at a fundraising campaign rally in Boston, Massachusetts April 13, 2004. REUTERS/Brian Snyder US ELECTION


4 posted on 04/13/2004 10:14:36 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Become a FR Monthly Donor ... Kerry thread archive @ /~normsrevenge)
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To: NormsRevenge
Kerry ... said the military alone cannot win peace in Iraq and called for "a political strategy that will work." -Mike Glover, AP

Blah blah blah. The military is absolutely the right way to stop the al-Sadr militia and the Fallujah animals.

We have lost lives, time, momentum and credibility. And we are seeing increasing numbers of Iraqis lashing out at the United States to express their frustration over what the Bush administration has and hasn't done. -John Kerry

That's a scurrilous lie. Characterizing every uprising as coming from average Iraqis specifically is gasoline onto the fire of world public opinion. Doesn't John Kerry want us to succeed?

5 posted on 04/13/2004 10:21:28 PM PDT by NutCrackerBoy
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To: NutCrackerBoy
Succeed at what? Getting more brave guys killed in a mid-east hellhole while our borders go unprotected? Typical neo-CON "strategy".
6 posted on 04/13/2004 10:30:34 PM PDT by Greg Weston
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To: NormsRevenge
OH MY GOD! Kerry, who has yet to offer a single specific plan on ANY issues, complains because BUSH didn't offer any specifics? Go read read the TRANSCRIPT Senator. Bush offered about 100% more specifics in this ONE speech then YOUR CAMPAIGN has to date!
See Link

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040413-20.html

BTW, Senator, don't you think that for someone who regularly accuses President Bush of an "Arrogant Foreign Policy" your continuous referral to "building a real coalition" is an inexcusably arrogant dismissal of the 60 nations with people currently on the ground in Iraq?

HOW is this moron Kerry over 35% in the polls?

7 posted on 04/13/2004 10:35:53 PM PDT by MNJohnnie (Vote Bush 2004-We have the solutions, Kerry Democrats? Nothing but slogans)
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To: Greg Weston
Succeed at what? Getting more brave guys killed in a mid-east hellhole while our borders go unprotected? Typical neo-CON "strategy".

Succeed at the one mission that does the most damage to Islamic extremists and terror masters: create a country that has half-decent governance and a half-decent economy.

At least succeed at the mission of pacifying Iraq. Please don't tell me you prefer to fail at that.

Protecting our borders is fine but it does very little about the dangers of the terrorists who still at this moment have the support of rogue states.

8 posted on 04/13/2004 10:39:13 PM PDT by NutCrackerBoy
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To: NutCrackerBoy
Well keep em out of our hemisphere and let em kill each other off. They always have.
9 posted on 04/13/2004 10:44:32 PM PDT by Greg Weston
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To: All
Tomorrow, please call the President and let him know we the American people back him 100%. What better way than to go direct to the man himself so our intentions can not be misled by the media nor the polls. Inform a love one or friend to call also and ask them to pass it on. The numbers are as follows:
Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461


10 posted on 04/13/2004 10:45:25 PM PDT by Two-Bits (I still am amazed at the stupidity of the media...)
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To: Two-Bits
BWAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11 posted on 04/13/2004 10:47:01 PM PDT by Greg Weston
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To: NormsRevenge
The President met John F. Seinfeld's challenge in his news conference tonight. He rose to the occasion. Now what is Ketchup Boy going to do but whine about how awful the situation is in Iraq? ;-) That's the difference between leaders and pretenders and "No Message" Seinfeld knows it.
12 posted on 04/13/2004 11:24:03 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: MNJohnnie
Why doesn't one reporter-just one-ask Kerry his reaction to Kofi Annan's statement that Iraq is too dangerous for the UN to become involved ?
13 posted on 04/13/2004 11:32:15 PM PDT by Wild Irish Rogue
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To: Wild Irish Rogue
Why doesn't one reporter-just one-ask Kerry his reaction to Kofi Annan's statement that Iraq is too dangerous for the UN to become involved ?

Because they are DNC directed cheerleaders not "journalists". Kerry makes very sure to stay as far away as possible from anyone who will ask him a SERIOUS question.
14 posted on 04/13/2004 11:45:22 PM PDT by MNJohnnie (Vote Bush 2004-We have the solutions, Kerry Democrats? Nothing but slogans)
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To: NormsRevenge
Kerry planned to focus the week on soaring college costs while touring campuses

College tour? Kerry really is stuck in the 60's.

15 posted on 04/14/2004 4:16:33 AM PDT by Right_in_Virginia
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To: NormsRevenge
The liberals are trying to re-run the Sixties when they felt so proud of themselves for allegedly forcing the withdrawal from Vietnam short of victory. They compare the latest outbreak of violence to the Tet offensive in Vietnam. Nobody points out, however, that American forces destroyed the Vietcong in the Tet offensive and the North Vietnamese had to move in their regular divisions. It was here in the U.S. where we lost the war, thanks to men like John Kerry who seemingly believes if the going gets tough, "cut and run." Osama bin Laden must love him! I think we should christen the Democratic candidate "Cut-and-run" Kerry.
16 posted on 04/14/2004 6:17:36 AM PDT by BB62vet (Cut-and-Run Kerry)
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To: Greg Weston
"Succeed at what? Getting more brave guys killed in a mid-east hellhole while our borders go unprotected? Typical neo-CON "strategy"."

Seems better then the Liberal /Marxist strategy which is to have the US give itself over to the UN, while Saddam kills his people and at the same time the French, Germans and Russians profit off of oil for food.

Sounds really nice.
17 posted on 04/14/2004 7:04:22 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz
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