Kerry: Road to Iraq war parallels mistakes of Vietnam
1/25/2004
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says President Bush has breached a faith to keep young people from dying needlessly in combat, which he said was a lesson from the Vietnam War.
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"You truly should go to war as a matter of last resort," Kerry told CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview to air Sunday night. "I'm afraid the president rushed to war without a plan to win the peace."
Kerry, a four-term Massachusetts senator, was a decorated Navy lieutenant who became a prominent critic of the war after returning home.
He voted for the congressional resolution authorizing last year's U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, but now says Bush did not follow conditions of the deal, such as building a strong international coalition and emphasizing weapons inspections.
"I believe we should have stood up to Saddam Hussein, I thought it was important for our nation's security," Kerry said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by CBS. "There was a right way to do it, and there was a wrong way to do it. The president chose the wrong way."
He added: "If anyone believes that I would have used that authority the way George Bush did, they should not vote for me, period."
Interviewed on the same program 33 years ago, Kerry said he did not want to be president, and laughed at the suggestion. Recalling that answer now, Kerry said: "I thought my anti-war activities would probably disqualify me from running for office ... I think that's what I was referring to."
Kerry started the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination by leading in New Hampshire, but fell behind the surging campaign of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. He regrouped and focused on Iowa, where he also had trailed Dean, and came back to win the caucuses and gain momentum heading into the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, said in the interview that her role as first lady would be to keep her husband "honest, strong -- up when they knock him, and real humble when they praise him too much."
"And you know Washington," said Heinz Kerry, widow of Sen. John Heinz, heir to the multimillion-dollar food fortune. "They always do that. You know, you're either a devil or you're a saint. And we -- none of us are either."
Heinz Kerry said she was a "tough sell" on her husband's campaign until about 18 months ago, but that she now supports his effort completely. She does not take part in campaign strategy sessions, saying her role in the campaign is to "just go out and do my thing." |
