Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., waves to supporters after a short rally at an airport hangar upon arrival in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
Posted on 09/01/2004 10:23:05 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In a sharply worded challenge to President Bush (news - web sites), Democratic Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) said Wednesday "extremism has gained momentum" as a result of administration missteps in Iraq (news - web sites), but said the war on terror is a winnable one with the right policies.
"When it comes to Iraq, it's not that I would have done one thing differently, I would have done almost everything differently" than the president, the presidential candidate said in a speech to the national convention of the American Legion.
Kerry spoke dismissively of a statement Bush made Monday — then rescinded on Tuesday — that the war on terror might not be winnable.
"I absolutely disagree," he said. "With the right policies, this is a war we can win, this is a war we must win, and this is a war we will win." Kerry said. "... In the end, the terrorists will lose and we will win because the future does not belong to fear, it belongs to freedom."
Kerry, a veteran who won five medals for service in the Vietnam War, saluted his audience as he stepped to the same podium where Bush spoke on Tuesday. He saluted again as he wrapped up his speech.
He accused the administration of failing to keep faith with the nation's 36 million veterans by underfunding VA programs that leave thousands of former servicemen and women without adequate, timely health care and reduced retirement and disability payments.
"The job will be done when the government stops asking veterans for increased co-payments, enrollment fees and other charges to shift the burden of care to more veterans and drive more than a million veterans out of the system," he said.
But the heart of the speech was a strong attack on Bush's policies in Iraq, delivered at a time when Republicans were midway through a national convention designed largely to stress the president's credentials as an effective commander in chief in the war on terror.
Kerry catalogued what he said was a long list of administration shortcomings on Iraq — failing to heed the advice of senior generals on the number of troops needed for postwar operations, failing to secure the country's borders, failing to share responsibility with NATO (news - web sites) or the United Nations (news - web sites), shortchanging the training and equipping of the Iraqi police and more.
As a result, he said, "today's terrorists have secured havens in Iraq that were not there before. And we have been forced to reach accommodation with those who have repeatedly attacked our troops.
"Violence has spread in Iraq. Iran has expanded its influence, and extremism has gained momentum," Kerry said.
As a Massachusetts senator, Kerry voted in 2002 to give Bush the authority to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), and said recently that he would still do so in hindsight, even knowing that no weapons of mass destruction have been found.
But Kerry said, "I would never have diverted resources so quickly from Afghanistan (news - web sites)," where the Taliban has been forced from power but Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and other members of al-Qaida remain free.
"I wouldn't have ignored my senior military advisers. I would have made sure that every soldier put in harm's way had the equipment and body armor they needed. I would have built a strong, broad coalition of our allies around the world.
"And if there's one thing I learned from my service, I would never have gone to war without a plan to win the peace," he said.
Kerry's remarks marked his first extensive foray into the controversy that Bush triggered earlier this week. In a television interview aired Monday, the Republican said he wasn't certain the war on terror was winnable. The following day — before the same American Legion members whom Kerry addressed — Bush said it was.
Kerry spoke as the Democratic Party decided to air a new 30-second ad in battleground states, a commercial designed to stress the same points the Massachusetts senator covered. It accuses Bush of "a failure in leadership." "Mounting casualties, costing $200 billion and counting," the ad says. "Now they call it a 'catastrophic success.' They say they 'miscalculated.' And now they say the war on terror is unwinnable."
The visit to the American Legion gathering was Kerry's first public political campaigning since Saturday, and marked an unusual decision to actively campaign while the opposition party was in the midst of its convention.
Kerry aides announced on Tuesday that the campaign will begin buying $45 million worth of commercial time in 20 states through Election Day. Aides described the investment — which amounts to about half of Kerry's overall budget for the fall campaign — as a down payment on their advertising strategy.
___
On the Net:
Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com
Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com
Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., waves to supporters after a short rally at an airport hangar upon arrival in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
I have no doubt that's true.
That's why I would never vote for you, you chickenshit horsefaced french fag.
Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., hugs Rep. Harold Ford (news, bio, voting record), D-Tenn., at an airport hangar upon arrival in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
Hmmmmm. No mention of crowd reaction..
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) (D-MA) (L) listens to Congressman Harold Ford (D-TN) at a rally in Nashville, Tennessee, August 31, 2004. REUTERS/Jim Young US ELECTION
There was some courteous applause occasionally but Kerry could only squeeze so many of his folks in there. ;-)
The Dems are having a fit that Bush is setting the tone of the argument. Kerry is saying the war is winnable, when they want him to denounce the war
Cut from his speech was this line:
"I would have immediately offered the unconditional surrender of the United States of America to Afghanistan"
Huh? How would he have learned that from Vietnam? Kerry and gang made sure we lost, so the peace (of the grave) was forced on S. Vietnam. If he had a brain cell in that ugly head of his, he would quit making Vietnam references.
Nedra Pickler Kerry Kneepad Audition Alert.
That's a fair statement, given that Kerry has done just about everything differently than he initially did it.
Teresa, will you PLEASE give your husband some lovin' - until you do, no man in this country is going to be safe...
1). Bury Head in Sand.
2). Declare Victory.
3). Bribe terrorists with money, weapons and "give them what they want" so they don't attack "on my watch"
PLAN B - What if they attack anyway?
1). If terrorist attack anyway, blame Republicans, failures of the previous administration, Haliburton, the richest 2% of americans... etc.
2). Beg the United Nations, France and Germany to give the terrorists a "stern talking to".
3). Send Jimmy Carter and Jesse Jackon on a peace mission to understand what we did to make the terrorists angry and try to create an environment for "understanding" and "trust"
The "right" policies in Kerryspeak: cut the intelligence budget, gut our military, coddle terrorists and make love to the French.
More Monday morning quarterbacking by the lying traitor...
Kerry failed to address the allegations by the Swiftees...
Hey Kerry, ignoring the allegations will not make them go away!
He lit out after that appearance before the American Legion like someone had a flamethrower on his arse! LMAO
He couldn't get out of there fast enough!
He was asking everybody on the stage "Which way is the EXIT?" LMAO
Hey Kerry, you can run but ya can't hide!
You can put a fork in that turkey, 'cause he's D O N E !
The VC in the lower right of the picture in post #11 looks like horseface himself.
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