(This really isn't fair to Waffle House, though. Their scattered and smothered hash browns are great.)
Posted on 09/06/2004 10:09:59 AM PDT by yonif
CANONSBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry has called the invasion of Iraq "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time" and said his goal was to withdraw U.S. troops in his first White House term.
Under pressure from some Democrats to change the subject from national security -- regarded by many as President George W. Bush's strongest issue -- Kerry tried to focus exclusively on the economy and other domestic topics at a neighbourhood meeting but supporters raised Iraq.
The Massachusetts senator, who has said he would have voted to give Bush the authority to use force if necessary against Iraq even if he had known at the time that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, has struggled to draw clear contrasts with the president.
"I would not have done just one thing differently than the president on Iraq, I would have done everything differently than the president on Iraq," Kerry said on Monday.
He denied that he was "Monday morning quarterbacking."
"I said this from the beginning of the debate to the walk up to the war. I said, Mr. President don't rush to war, take the time to build a legitimate coalition and have a plan to win the peace."
Kerry said Bush had failed on all three counts. He called the president's talk about a coalition fighting alongside about 125,000 U.S. troops "the phoniest thing I've ever heard."
"You've about 500 troops here, 500 troops there and it's American troops that are 90 percent of the combat casualties and it's American taxpayers that are paying 90 percent of the cost of the war," he said. "It's the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time."
GETTING OUT OF IRAQ
Kerry, like Bush, promised that the United States would stay the course in Iraq until the country is secure, saying: "We have to do what we need to do to get out and do it right."
He pledged to internationalise the forces in Iraq and do a better job of fighting "a more effective, smarter" war on terror that he said would actually make Americans safer.
Although he declined to set a precise timetable for pulling out U.S. troops, Kerry said it would be possible if certain conditions were met, such as bringing allies to the table to help with security and reconstruction.
He also said Washington should make it clear to the world that the United States had no "long-term designs to maintain bases and troops in Iraq.
"We want those troops home and my goal would be to try to get them home in my first term and I believe that can be done," he said.
If Kerry were to beat Bush in the November 2 presidential election, his first four-year term would end in January 2009.
Kicking off a Labour Day offensive in three crucial battleground states -- Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio -- Kerry focused on pocketbook issues as he tried to reinvigorate his campaign after new polls showed him trailing Bush by double digits.
On the front porch of Dale and Jody Rhome's house in Canonsburg, he assailed the president's economic policies and said if Americans wanted four more years of losing jobs and health care "then you ought to go vote for George Bush."
This sounds like Kerry is employing the Nixon strategy from 1968. Next he'll be pronouncing "peace with honor". LOL Actually Kerry is flip-flopping once again. Kerry is the wrong candidate and is the wrong man to become the next POTUS.
ON the other hand Kerry would have us fighting the terrorists on our own shores and in the heartland (as in Russa!!)
BTW, I get so sick of people "dissing" our allies in Iraq. The families of the Polish soldiers, the Aussie soldiers, the Ukranian soldiers, etc., who died, all hurt just as much as the American families.
I was reminded of this last night when I watched Tom Selleck in "Ike." He chewed the crap out of Patton for ignoring the sacrifices of our allies!
Well, when muslim terrororists hear that kind of statement coming from a man who media polls say has about an even chance of becoming President in two months- I'd say that encourages them to increase their killing.
So, just as in 1971, Kerry 's mouth will cause more deaths than his Vietnam weaponry ever did.
This was the only argument he had left that could have any kind of resonance with the public, especially as more casualties are reported. The economy is doing well, the job situation is improving, and Bush owns the war on terror. So all he had to disagree on was Iraq--even though just a few weeks ago he agreed he would have gone to war just as Bush had, even if weapons of mass destruction were not found. Now he's flip-flopping once again--but it's still a smarter option than running on his four-months in Vietnam which was killing him. Bush will counter with the flip-flop charge--and argue against cutting and running. Kerry will lose--and lose big--but he will get down and dirty first and put up a nasty fight.
So he was against the war, then for it...and now against it again?
That's why it isn't a flip flop. It's a flip flop flip flop flip flop flip flop.
Ke
rry is quoted: "I said this from the beginning of the debate to the walk up to the war. I said, Mr. President don't rush to war, take the time to build a legitimate coalition and have a plan to win the peace."
Has anyone done a Lexis-Nexis search on this to document that kerry actually is on record to this effect? I, for one, doubt he did this.
Well, to be precise, he just dies by the slogan. I don't think you can use the term "life" in the context of this candidate or his campaign.
"his first White House term " also includes "the first 90 days" .....
Read it again! All he really promised is that "he is going to do all that that necessary to withdrawn (leave Iraq) BEFORE he leaves Iraq!
Duh!
Hmm..hey EFnK: Other than the Internal Robbery Service and the "legalized theft" thrust upon us by the socialists, what's wrong with the economy stupid??? [Yes I love Walter Williams ;)]
(This really isn't fair to Waffle House, though. Their scattered and smothered hash browns are great.)
Kerry is just following his pattern. Time for the GOP to update the Kerry on Iraq video again
john kerry testifying before the Fulbright Commission in 1971...
"We are asking Americans to think about that because how do you ask a man to be the last man to dies in Vietnam? How do ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake"?
john kerry to the presss 2004...
John Kerry has called the invasion of Iraq "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time" and said his goal was "to withdraw U.S. troops in his first White House term".
johnny boy still has the same anti-war positions that he did back in 1971... until he changed it in 2002... then changed it back in 2003... then changed it back again in 2004... only to change it again 180 degrees in late 2004.
What a L O S E R ! ! !
LLS
There he goes again.............
He is the right candidate for he is doing a fine job of making sure that he won't become the wrong president.
"take the time to build a legitimate coalition"
Britain is illegitimate.
France is legitimate.
In Kerry's world.
I think it is time to cordon off falluja, give "civilians" (if there is such a thing) a 5 day notice to evacuate, and widely publicize it as a free-fire zone. It needs to be razed,regardless of the "political" fallout. With kerry actively working against the war effort, aided by clinton and the rest of the treasonous democrats (MSM included) attacks like yesterday's will happen repeatedly until election day. Turn loose the USMC- let them finish the job. Falluja is no Iwo Jima, or Hue City.
IMO-this is Kerry's "nail in the coffin." Can't say I'm saddened. :)
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