Kerry Adviser Admits Mistake in Iraq Remarks

[Rose Siding]

A top national security adviser to John F. Kerry today said that he made a mistake when he said the Democratic nominee probably would have launched a military invasion to oust Saddam Hussein if he had been president during the past four years.

On Aug. 7, Jamie Rubin told The Washington Post that "in all probability" a Kerry administration would have waged war against Iraq by now if the Massachusetts Democrat were president.

The Bush campaign, eager to portray Kerry as holding the same position as the president after the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, seized on Rubin's comments as evidence that the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates share similar views on the war, in retrospect. On NBC's "Meet the Press," Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman said Sunday that the two candidates agreed about "sending our troops to war."

"To the extent that my own comments have contributed to misunderstanding on this issue. . . . I never should have said the phrase 'in all probability' because that's not Kerry's position and he's never said it," Rubin said in a statement. "That was my mistake."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29593-2004Aug24.html?nav=rss_politics

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. It's about time he clarified.

Thank you, Jamie, but it would have been easier to forgive you if you clarified your remarks earlier.

[NMDemDist2]

2. well at least they printed the retraction n/t

[wishlist]

3. I was disappointed with Rubin over this, about time he corrected himself

I bet Kerry was not happy with Rubin over misrepresenting his position to appear to be the same as Bush.

[rocktivity]

4. ANOTHER Kerry campaign mainstream media screwup

Kerry is having enough trouble getting national coverage--he doesn't need any help from his own people. Who IS doing his media coordinating? If the grass roots end of things was being run this badly, Kerry wouldn't have a chance.

:headbang:
rocknation