Kerry Says Bush Broke His Word in Pursuing War on Iraq

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/politics/campaign/09kerry.html

Kerry Says Bush Broke His Word in Pursuing War on Iraq
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER

Published: September 9, 2004


INCINNATI, Sept. 8 - Standing where President Bush made his case for the use of force in Iraq 23 months ago, Senator John Kerry accused Mr. Bush on Wednesday of breaking his promise to go to war as a last resort and with a broad alliance, ignoring the advice of his generals and grossly underestimating the costs.

"I call this course a catastrophic choice that has cost us $200 billion because we went it alone,'' Mr. Kerry said. "And we've paid an even more unbearable price in young American lives and the risks our soldiers take."

After weeks of defending himself against Mr. Bush's charge that he has "flip-flopped" on Iraq, Mr. Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, went on the attack on two fronts. By pointedly recalling the president's pivotal Oct. 7, 2002, speech, two days before the Senate voted to authorize the use of force, he sought to hold Mr. Bush responsible for his dire warnings of Iraq's ability to attack the United States - warnings that Mr. Kerry has said were based on faulty or distorted intelligence.<snip>


"He doesn't believe that America can be strong in the world while we also make progress here at home," Mr. Kerry added later, of Mr. Bush. "That's a false choice, and I reject it."<snip>

[papau]

1. Boston Globe: Kerry calls Iraq war 'catastrophic choice'

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/bush/articles/2004/09/09/kerry_calls_iraq_war_catastrophic_choice?pg=full

Kerry calls Iraq war 'catastrophic choice'
By Patrick Healy, Globe Staff | September 9, 2004

CINCINNATI -- Senator John F. Kerry, campaigning at the same site where President Bush laid out his case against Saddam Hussein two years ago, yesterday called the Iraq war a "catastrophic choice" that has cost $200 billion while inspiring terrorist groups and yielding "the most incalculable loss of all" -- more than 1,000 US military deaths.

"George W. Bush's wrong choices have led America in the wrong direction in Iraq, and they have left America without the resources we need so desperately here at home," Kerry said, in a bluntly worded attempt to contrast his views on Iraq with the incumbent's war policy. "I call this course a catastrophic choice that has cost us $200 billion because we went it alone, and we've paid an even more unbearable price in young American lives and the risks our soldiers are taking. We need a new direction."

While Kerry did not offer a detailed strategy of his own for Iraq, several advisers said they were examining options for withdrawing US troops from Iraq by the end of 2008, a goal the Democratic presidential nominee set on Monday. Ideas include convening a series of meetings with other heads of state, first Europeans and then Middle Eastern leaders, and offering financial incentives that invite nations like Russia, France, Egypt, and Jordan to contribute troops to Iraq.

Kerry advisers in Washington yesterday discussed the timing of a possible speech on Iraq strategy, including the concern of some that unveiling an exit plan that -- even though it may excite some voters critical of the war -- may lock Kerry into a game plan that does not fit the conflict come January 2005.

"It's fair to assert that something is coming, but we don't feel the time is right to stress our precise strategy for Iraq," a senior Kerry adviser said. "We're shaping proposals, we're thinking about them . . . But we don't want to tie the senator's hands by staking a plan right now. Iraq is so complex, we have to tread carefully."
<snip>

[blm]

2. Kerry has always made this point. During the debates the public will

hear it for themselves without the layers of lying spin applied by the RNC operatives and their lapdog media.

[Dr Fate]

3. Kerry needs to start using the words "Lie", "Liar", "Lied" and "Lying"

You might think it's silly, but "Bush is a liar" needs to be just as widespread as "Kerry is a flip flopper"