Boston Herald: Kerry: Cheney ‘misleading’ on war

[whometense]

http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=113319

By Kimberly Atkins
Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - Updated: 02:49 AM EST

Sen. John Kerry locked jaws yesterday with White House pitbull Vice President Dick Cheney over a congressman’s call to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq within six months.

From the lobby of his Boston office, Kerry blasted the vice president, accusing Cheney of dodging honest debate in favor of “inappropriate and misleading” partisan attacks.

“It is time for the vice president to stop continually misleading America,” Kerry said, adding that the administration “ought to be trying to fix the problems they have created with their incompetence over the last three years.”

Earlier, Cheney toned down his criticism of decorated war veteran and U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), even calling him “my friend and former colleague.” But Cheney then blasted lawmakers for “dishonest and reprehensible” claims that the United States fudged intelligence to make the case for war.

“Some of the most irresponsible comments have come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein,” Cheney said. “These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence materials. They are known to have a high opinion of their own analytical capabilities.”

Cheney did not mention any senator by name, but Kerry still shot back.

“That is just plain, flat, not true,” Kerry said. “We did not see the same intelligence and I challenge the vice president, I challenge him to answer the fundamental questions from the facts.”

Kerry joined a number of senators who spoke out against Cheney, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who said the administration “manipulated and misused intelligence information that rushed us to war.”

But one Democrat, New York’s Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, said an immediate pullout from Iraq would be a mistake that could incite a civil war “that would cause more problems for us in America.”

Kerry said Murtha’s call reflects the feelings of Americans and Iraqis of the urgent need to disengage U.S. forces the country. “There is no time to spare – that really was the message of John Murtha, whether you agree or disagree with how he said it,” Kerry said.

But Kerry declined to sign on to Murtha’s call to withdraw troops in six months. “It can be done in about a year under my plan,” Kerry said. “Others have different plans.”