I just donwloaded and read the entire transcript. Kerry did an awesome job. He was on for less than 20 minutes with commercial and other interruptions and hit a number of excellent points:
SCHIEFFER: ...the election. Senator, I want to go directly to what I think is the core question here. When the secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, was here three weeks ago, I asked him would the security of the American people, not the Iraqi people, but would the security of the American people be endangered if we brought home our American troops over the next six months? His answer was, `Absolutely,' and one of the things he said was, `Turning Iraq over to the terrorists who behead people would make for a more dangerous world.' How do you answer the question?
Sen. KERRY: Well, to begin with, I'm amazed Secretary Rumsfeld is still there. I believe Secretary Rumsfeld has misconducted this war in the most extraordinary way from the first decisions about when and how to go in through the last two-and-a-half years. And if there was ever a lack of accountability, it is the lack of accountability on the secretary. In fact, just this last week, General Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had to publicly correct the secretary of Defense about torture. The secretary of Defense said, `You don't report--our troops have no obligation to do anything except report torture.' And General Pace publicly countermanded him and said, `No, Mr. Secretary, they have an obligation to stop it.' I think we need a secretary of Defense who thinks like John McCain, not like Dick Cheney...
SCHIEFFER: All right. Well...
Sen. KERRY: ...and
that's the starting point. SCHIEFFER: And I want to get back to the torture question in a minute, but I'd like to go back to the original question.
Sen. KERRY: All right.
SCHIEFFER: Do you think the American people's security would be endangered if we withdrew our forces over the next six months?
Sen. KERRY: I believe that you have to begin with the fundamental truth of the ground in Iraq. That fundamental truth has been set forth by none other than General Casey, the commander of our forces. He has said that the large presence of American forces in Iraq feeds the notion of occupation and it delays--this is critical--delays the willingness and ability of the Iraqis to stand up for themselves. Now that truth from our commanding general, you take it on its face. Then you have to operate on that which means you begin to reduce the number of troops.
No one that I know of even on a six-month basis believes that that's going to leave us in a more exposed basis. Why? Let me tell you. We're not fighting World War II, Bob. The dangers in Iraq on a day-to-day basis to our troops are what basically, fundamentally, IEDs, improvised explosive devices, and suicide bombers. You don't need troops trained on the level of World War II or NATO troops and others in order to be able to do what we need to do, provide security in Iraq. And our troops could redeploy, pull back into a more garrisoned rear position. They don't need to leave totally so that you have no ability to intervene in the event that Iran played their games or Syria or others.
We can provide for the security of our country but it begins with the understanding that success in Iraq is predicated on an exit strategy.SCHIEFFER: So what you're saying here is it is more dangerous to the American people to leave the troops there than to begin drawing them down? Is that what I take from your answer?
Sen. KERRY:
It is more dangerous to the mission to leave them in the large numbers they're in today in the status quo. The president keeps saying we're going to stay the course. Staying the course leaves the Iraqis the option of making the decision of when they stand up. If you say to the Iraqis--here's what I believe the president should do. I--these elections are incredibly important. I believe they're going to be successful. We want them to be successful. The day after the election, the president of the United States should announce to the Iraqis and the world, `Because they were successful, because the referendum was successful, I am withdrawing the 20,000 additional troops we put in to do them.'
SCHIEFFER: All right. All right.
snip... (after the Rummy clip)
SCHIEFFER: ...`Here's what he ought to do'; well, they're saying they're going to do that.
Sen. KERRY: That had never been said until it was said that Sunday, which followed almost directly on the speech I gave at Georgetown University, where I called on the drawdown and told them precisely why they could do that.
SCHIEFFER: So...
Sen. KERRY: That was the first time publicly they acknowledged what I had said. Now I believe the president needs to reiterate it, but it's not all he needs to say.
He needs to make clear what this administration has never made clear: We will have no permanent basing and no permanent interest in Iraq. And part of the problem that feeds the insurgency today is that we are, like it or not, the inheritors of the legacy of both the British and the French. It is not a pretty legacy in that part of the world. And so the president needs to make it clear: 20,000 troops are coming out. We intend to shift additional responsibilities with a series of benchmarks-- political, economic benchmarks, military benchmarks. And as those benchmarks are met, then we withdraw. And that negates what the secretary and the president have said. It does not make Americans more threatened. It, in fact, improves the situation for Americans, because it will empower us to do more with respect to Syria, Iran, the region, the peace process, as well as free us up to do what we always should have been doing, which is getting Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.
snip...
Sen. KERRY:
Of course, I'd support Joe Lieberman. He's a friend and he's a very capable guy. But that's all inside Washington stuff, Bob. You know, what people really care about is how we're going to protect our country and get your troops home in a way that is successful. Now...SCHIEFFER: Do you think Lieberman would do a better job than Rumsfeld?
Sen. KERRY: Well, right--I think a lot of people would do a better job than Secretary Rumsfeld.
But let me come to the more important issue...SCHIEFFER: Go back.
Sen. KERRY: ...80 percent of the Iraqi people have said they want us to leave. They want us out. The Iraqi leaders met in Cairo a week or so ago and asked to have us set a timetable for withdrawal. Forty-five percent of the people in Iraq believe that it's OK to kill Americans. Secretary Melvin Laird, the secretary of Defense under Richard Nixon, broke his silence of 30 years and said in an important article in Foreign Affairs that it is the large American presence of troops that feeds the insurgency. And he said you have to have a slow drawdown to establish confidence in the Iraqis themselves.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/face_120405.pdf