Sen. Kerry Criticizes U.S. Tactics

AP via NYTimes.com ^ | 6/23/02

[GeneD]

Filed at 3:53 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Sunday the war in Afghanistan was only partly a military success because of the ``enormous mistake'' of sending Afghan forces into the mountains after entrenched al-Qaida fighters rather than using tested U.S. troops.

Last year's operation ousted Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia and routed the al-Qaida organization's forces the Taliban were shielding. Kerry, considered a potential presidential candidate in 2004, was asked whether he judged it a military success.

``Only partly,'' said Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

``I think that our troops did a superb job on the ground, ... a superb job of soldiering. They showed initiative, courage, and they really helped to topple the Taliban and move the process forward,'' he said on NBC's ``Meet the Press.''

But, he said, ``the Taliban are not the target. They were a collateral target. The target is and always has been al-Qaida, and al-Qaida, 1,000 strong, was gathered in one single mountain area, Tora Bora.

``We turned to Afghans, who a week earlier had been fighting for the other side, and said, `Hey, you guys, go up there in the mountains and go after the world's number one terrorist and criminal who just killed 3,000-plus Americans.''

``I think that was an enormous mistake. I think the Tora Bora operation was a failed military operation, which resulted then in Anaconda, which also did not do the job. And the fact is that the prime target, al-Qaida, has dispersed, and in many ways is more dangerous than it was when it was in the mountains of Tora Bora.''

[txrangerette]

Running for Prez, Senator? Thought so!

[The_Media_never_lie]

And....if only we'd killed those 1000 al Quaeda there in the mountains, we could live hapily ever after.

Great Monday morning quarterbacking from a Dem.

[Kermit]

7 months after the fact, Sen 20-20 Hindsight Kerrey steps up the plate.

[LowOiL]

I heard this on the radio this morning after church. Seems the AP is really trying to rub the salt in Bush anywhere they can. I think it will backfire.

Low OiL

[goodnesswins]

"backfire"......I hope it's a major BLOWBACK....traitors.

[RWG]

I saw the program. What a slime ball and where was he when clinton was bombing aspirin factories?

[olliemb]

Me too. Saw the long faced creep on Meet the Press. He was so critical--said more US soldiers should have fought at Tora Bora and even have been willing to lose more US life to get the Al Qaeda. He was very critical of Bush and the Middle East b/c of no engagement in the first year (yeah, as if any engagement at all would have made the terrorism any better).Quite frankly I think that letting them slug it out til they are both tired of the the fighting is the best way to get Israel and the Palestinians to get on a peace plan.

Kerry even suggested that maybe he would send troops into Middle East and then could not be pinned but was very close to saying that he would if president take back the tax cut for the top 1% (that is if you earn over $200,000, goodbye to your tax cut). Beware folks, every democrat that Russert has tried to pin down re taking back the tax cut gets very close to saying yes but then never really does. It has to be with special circumstances, they say.

[grimalkin]

People like Kerry love to dilate and pretend they are experts. What a windbag... and a dangerous one at that.

[Freee-dame]

windbag bump

[Polybius]

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Sunday the war in Afghanistan was only partly a military success because of the ``enormous mistake'' of sending Afghan forces into the mountains after entrenched al-Qaida fighters rather than using tested U.S. troops.

And if everyone had 20/20 hindsight, Robert E. Lee would have turned the Union left flank at Gettysburg instead of ordering Pickett's Charge.

The bottonm line is that Kerry would now be howling about the increased number of U.S. casualties if his 20/20 hindsight advice had been followed initially. I can hear him now.............

"Our Afghan allies knew the terrain. They succeeded in taking Kabul. If it were not for Bush's enormous mistake in bypassing our battle-proven Afghan allies, those American boys would not have died!"

[tinacart]

Bullseye!

[BlessingInDisguise]

Kerry reminds me of Clinton more and more everyday.

If we had sent 'tested U.S. troops' in the mountains he would have been complaining that the Afghani's should fight their own battles. You know it's true.

[Militiaman7]

Hey, Kerry crawl back into a ketsup bottle.

[rmgatto]

Hey, John--you're lucky that bigmedia is too liberal to ask why you threw your medals away after Vietnam. If the public knew how elitist and cynical you are, you'd be pulling less than the three percent of Democrats you get now. You and Reno would make the ideal Frankenstein and Bride ticket. Go for it you miserable slut!

[cynicom]

Kerry has not a clue. He would find fault if we went instead of the Afghans..

He is anti big business, yet his wife owns Heinz 57 and Kerry has a million bucks of exxon stock. Therefore anything he has to say is worthless.

[vannrox]

This Handbook will help you all to understand Democrats,
and why they doa and say things that they do.

[Tony Niar Brain]

I think the point Sen. Kerry is trying to make is one about the loyalties of the Northern Alliance warriors. Many rank-and-file Taliban members defected during the U.S. strikes and were then counted as members of the Northern Alliance. The soldiers that went in to get Al Qaeda could have very easily sympathized with Osama, given that a great portion of popular culture in the whole region is hating the Western world.

I think the decision to send in Northern Alliance soldiers with highly questionable motives instead of bona fide U.S. troops with adamant loyalty was foolish. I do not and would not like to put the lives of U.S. forces at jeapordy, but if we are even half-way serious about our causes, our military must be prepared to do it's job, and do it right. If windows of opportunity such as in Tora Bora open, we must exploit them in a direct and focused manner. I would hate to think that this whole thing could have been over by now over that decision.

Flame away. Today, the Northern Alliance has metamorphed into the interm(sp) government that Karazi supposedly leads.

[Thumper1960]

Sen. "VietNamese massacre commander" Kerry and his traitorous meddling in Foreign Affairs.

These Dems are on par as enemies to America as is bin-Laden and the murderous Islamists who infest this world. Kerry, like the Dem infestation, offer nothing but criticism and aid and comfort to the enemy. Why do they still walk the streets free?????

[McGavin999]

Nope, you're wrong there. There was a distinct difference between the Northern Alliance and the Eastern Alliance. The Eastern Alliance was composed mostly of Pashtun tribes and many of the Taliban joined their ranks. The Northern Alliance was composed mosty of Uzbek and Tajek tribesmen who would have gladly slit the throat of any Taliban they came across simply because the Taliban was BRUTAL to them during their rule.