Bush: Kerry Troop Stance Threatens Iraq Mission
Wed Aug 11, 6:36 PM
By Caren Bohan
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Wednesday attacked John Kerry (news - web sites)'s pledge to bring large numbers of troops home from Iraq (news - web sites) within a year, saying it would embolden the Iraqi insurgency and jeopardize the mission.
For a second day in a row, Bush sought to undercut Kerry's war-leadership credentials, accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of sending mixed signals over Iraq.
"We all want the mission to be completed as quickly as possible, but we want the mission to be complete," Bush told an "Ask President Bush" event here.
"The mission is not going to be completed as quickly as possible if the enemy thinks we're going to removing a substantial number of troops in six months," he said.
Kerry said on Monday that reducing U.S. troops in Iraq by next August was an "appropriate goal," and that if he wins, he would seek to pull out a large number of troops within six months of taking office next January.
The Massachusetts senator and decorated Vietnam veteran said he believes he could do a better job than Bush of enlisting the help of countries in Iraq, which would ease the burden for U.S. troops.
Bush has said the U.S. military would remain in Iraq as long as needed to ensure stability and as long as their presence is requested by the Iraqi government.
Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer accused Bush of distorting the senator's words. Kerry stressed that achieving the goal of fewer U.S. troops would depend on international assistance and greater stability in Iraq, Singer said.
Bush's criticism on troop levels came a day after the president accused Kerry of "switching positions" on the need for war in Iraq.
"MIXED SIGNALS"
Echoing that theme on Wednesday, Bush said: "I know what I'm doing when it comes to winning this war. And I'm not going be sending mixed signals."
The New Mexico event was held at a Eclipse Aviation, a company that designs executive jets. The setting was intended to highlight Bush's attempt to pitch his economic agenda as "pro-entrepreneur."
But the Iraq issue loomed large.
From the audience, a mother with a son in the Marine Corps bound for Iraq asked Bush to pray for her son.
"You're going to be nervous and I know you are. And you should be," Bush said as he sought to assure the woman of the importance of her son's contribution.
With Bush as he headed West as part of a five-day campaign tour was Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, a onetime rival. Bush treated McCain to a tour earlier in the day of his Crawford, Texas, ranch and on the stump he eagerly touted the Arizonan's support.
McCain, known as a maverick, is popular with many swing voters.
Bush lost New Mexico to Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) by only 366 votes in 2000. The contest is tight once again, with Kerry leading 49 percent to 48 percent in a recent Zogby poll.
Bush later flew to Arizona, also a battleground state.
He was to visit Nevada on Thursday, two days after Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry lambasted him there over the 2002 decision to use the state's Yucca Mountain as a burial site for radioactive refuse from nuclear power plants and weapons.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan defended the Yucca Mountain decision as based on "science, not politics" and said the administration was taking care to put in place safety measures.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland)
Info ping!
Bump!