Kerry accuses Bush of hiding plan to mobilize reservists

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Fri, Sep. 17, 2004
BY FRANK JAMES AND RICK PEARSON

Chicago Tribune
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/special_packages/election2004/9693680.htm

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - (KRT) - Sen. John Kerry contended Friday that President Bush plans a huge post-election mobilization of National Guard members and reservists for the Iraq war, but the Bush campaign countered that Kerry was engaging in an "irresponsible" conspiracy

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"He won't tell us what congressional leaders are now saying, that this administration is planning yet another substantial call-up of reservist and Guard units immediately after the election," Kerry said at a town hall-style meeting at a community center in the battleground state of New Mexico. "Hide it from people through the election, then make the move."

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But even as Kerry accused Bush of a secret mobilization plan to quell disorder in Iraq, he questioned whether the president really knows "what's happening" there.

"He doesn't tell us that with each passing day, we're seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings," Kerry said. "He won't tell us that, day by day, we're running out of soldiers and that we're now resorted to a backdoor draft of our reservists and our National Guard."

[Minimus]

1. Statement From Rep John P. Murtha

in Hot Documents at Global Security site

http://www.globalsecurity.org/index.html


Office of Congressman John Murtha
September 17, 2004

I have learned through conversations with officials at the Pentagon that at the beginning of November, 2004, the Bush Administration plans to call up large numbers of the military guard and reserves, to include plans that they previously put off to call up the Individual Ready Reserve. I have said publicly and privately that our forces are inadequate to support our current worldwide tempo of operations. On November 21, 2003, a bipartisan group of 135 members of the House of Representatives wrote to the President urging an increase in the active duty army troop levels and expressed concern that our Armed Forces are over-extended and that we are relying too heavily on the Guard and Reserve. We didn’t get a reply until February 2004, and now as the situation in Iraq is deteriorating, it seems that the Administration will resort to calling up additional guard and reservists, again with inadequate notice.

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2. Perfect. Kerry's response was triggered by Murtha's statement

I had to clip it to get the senator's part in whole.

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3. Kick for this mostly ignored post

[A_Possum]

4. Some troops in Iraq are being told they might come back by Thanksgiving

I hadn't really thought about that one way or the other but it would fit with this planned mobilization after the election.

[sangh0]

5. And another kick for all these anti-war DUers.

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