Kerry says Bush was right to invade Iraq
Washington Post
Published on: 08/10/04
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — Responding to President Bush's challenge to clarify his position, Sen. John F. Kerry said Monday that he still would have voted to authorize the war in Iraq even if he had known then that U.S. and allied forces would not find weapons of mass destruction.
At the same time, the Democratic presidential nominee said that his goal as president would be to reduce U. S. troops in Iraq during his first six months in office through a combination of diplomacy and foreign assistance.
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"I believe if you do the statesmanship properly, I believe if you do the kind of alliance building that is available to us, that it is appropriate to have a goal of reducing our troops" by August, 2005, Kerry told reporters during a press briefing from the canyon's edge.
Since last month's Democratic National Convention, Kerry has been under mounting pressure to provide a clearer explanation of his views on the war, including why he voted for the congressional resolution authorizing the invasion yet opposing funding for the war. Last Friday, Bush challenged Kerry to answer yes or no to the question of whether he would support the war "knowing what we know now" about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction that U.S. and British officials were certain were there.
In response, Kerry said: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a president to have.
But Kerry has charged that the president and his advisers badly mishandled the war, and during the news conference he posed sharp questions for Bush.
"Why did we rush to war without a plan to win the peace?" he said. "Why did you rush to war on faulty intelligence and not do the hard work necessary to give America the truth?"
"Why did he mislead America about how he would go to war?" he added. " Why has he not brought other countries to the table in order to support American troops in the way they deserve it and relieve the pressure on the American people?"
In the past, Kerry has said he would want to talk to commanders in the field before determining troop size and never ruled out increasing U.S. forces if needed. Later, he set a goal of reducing troops by the end of his first term. In an interview last week with National Public Radio, Kerry said he could "significantly" reduce troops a year from now — a position his aides quickly tried to soften. Stephanie Cutter, Kerry's spokeswoman, said the nominee's position has not changed.
As evidence his goal is attainable, Kerry said fellow senators who have traveled abroad told him other countries would be willing to provide more assistance if President Bush is defeated this fall. He also said Arab countries have a stake in Iraq's future and could lessen America's burden.
"Obviously we have to see how events unfold," Kerry said. "The measurement has to be the stability of Iraq, the ability to have the elections, and the training and transformation of the Iraqi security force itself."
After the news conference, Jamie Rubin, national security adviser to the Democratic nominee, said he wanted to "clarify" Kerry's comments as a best-case target for troop reduction contingent upon conditions on the ground changing and other nation's offering up more peacekeeping troops in Iraq.
Kerry has made his pledge to internationalize the peacekeeping effort the central tenet of his Iraq policy.
Kerry made his comments during a campaign trek by train through several key western states — Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. On domestic issues, Kerry said he would not raise the retirement age or decrease benefits for Social Security recipients, arguing that an improved economy alone can extend the life of the entitlement program. "If anything in America, we should be trying to set a goal of helping people to retire earlier, not later," he said.
Kerry's comments on Iraq overshadowed an event here designed to pay homage to the national parks systems and accuse President Bush of not providing enough funding for places such as Grand Canyon . After a brief morning stop in Flagstaff, Kerry boarded a six-passenger, twin-engine Augusta 109 helicopter to fly to the canyon's edge, 7,200 feet above sea level, for a quick hike and short address to visitors to Powell Point on the southern rim. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, daughter Vanessa Kerry and stepson Andre Heinz joined him for the hike and national parks event.
Kerry promised to spend $600 million more on national parks, in part by repealing the Bush tax cuts for those making $200,000 a year or more, changing the 1872 mining law and, possibly, raising fees for park services as a last resort.
"Teddy Roosevelt stood right here at the grand canyon, and he looked out at it and said, 'Leave it as it is, you can't improve on it, what you must do is make this available to our children, and to our children's children,' " Kerry said. "And what he was really talking about is not just the Grand Canyon, but he's talking about the parks that we have today. ... Regrettably today, the national park system is under stress."
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