"Invasion of Iraq was a profound diversion from battle against al Qaeda"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=1&u=/washpost/20040925/ts_washpost/a48716_2004sep24

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 24 -- John F. Kerry detailed his plan for combating terrorism Friday and insisted that the nation is no safer after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because President Bush (news - web sites) took his "eye off the ball."

In a harsh assessment of his rival's policies, Kerry told an audience at Temple University that Iraq (news - web sites) has become a haven for terrorists, and he drew a sharp distinction between the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq to differentiate his policies from those of the president.

"The invasion of Iraq was a profound diversion from the battle against our greatest enemy -- al Qaeda," Kerry said. "The president's misjudgment, miscalculation and mismanagement . . . all make the war on terror harder to win. George Bush (news - web sites) made Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) the priority. I would have made Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) the priority."

Kerry's comments at Temple, reinforced later at a rally of 20,000 at the University of Pennsylvania, included a six-point plan that campaign officials said is designed to contrast his proposals with those of the president's and to demonstrate that foreign policy is a strength of Kerry's.