http://nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Kerry.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=Kerry Criticizes Bush for Handling of War Effort
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the war in Iraq by criticizing President Bush for
failed policies "with no end in sight" as Vice President Dick Cheney defended the administration.
"Today we know that the mission is not finished, hostilities have not ended, and our men and women in uniform fight on almost alone with the
target squarely on their backs," Kerry said at George Washington University. "Every day they face danger and death from suicide bombers, roadside bombers, and now, ironically, from the very Iraqi police they are training."
Kerry said Bush's use of the armed services has been reckless and has left the military spread far too thin.
"We are still
bogged down in Iraq and the administration stubbornly holds to failed policies that drive potential allies away. What we have seen is a steady loss of lives and mounting cost in dollars with no end in sight," he said. "The lesson here is fundamental: At times, conflict comes, and the decision must be made. For a president, the decision may be lonely, but that does not mean that America should go it alone."