.Kerry calls for decisions in Iraq
WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry called Wednesday for the Bush administration to tell Iraqi leaders to form a unity government by May 15 or face immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops.
Even if Iraq forms a government, Kerry calls for all U.S. combat troops out by year's end, with the remainder housed in garrisons where they would help train Iraqi soldiers, offer backup security and respond to emergencies.
Democratic leaders in Washington have long worried that taking a stand against the war or calling for early withdrawal would label them weak on national security. But Kerry, in an interview with Knight Ridder, said that the stand he's calling for is "tough" and necessary. The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee laid out his plan first in an opinion piece published Wednesday in The New York Times. He is scheduled to speak further about his proposal in a speech Thursday from the Senate floor.
“No young American should be sacrificed because Iraqi politicians are screwing around unwilling to compromise,” Kerry said in the interview. “So you have to get tough. You have to give them a date. They have only responded to dates.”
“The only way now to get this thing on track, in my judgment, is to be tough and say, ‘Look our young soldiers are not going to lose their lives and our taxpayers aren’t going to pour billions of dollars so you guys can sit around every day and fight with each other.”
Does he worry that his call for a pullout will be interpreted as a feeble stance?
“I think it’s weak not to stand up and fight for the troops,” he said. “We will be stronger vis-a-vis Iran, we will be stronger vis-a-vis Russia and China. We will be stronger with respect to the Middle East and we’ll be stronger in our ability to fight against al Qaeda. All of those come out of this plan.”
Asked whether Congress was ready to follow public opinion against the war, Kerry said lawmakers weren’t ready to make that leap yet.
“One of the reasons I decided that the time had come to lay this out is that you have to break this logjam,” he said. “There is a reluctance by people here to push this envelope and I think you have to push it.
“If we’re just sitting here day to day swallowing this administration line that, ‘Oh there’s progress or something is happening,’ when we know every day looking at it that it isn’t, we’re irresponsible. We’re walking away from our fundamental responsibilities.”
Kerry’s position already was getting good reviews in liberal blogs, a reception that Kerry seemed to anticipate. Asked if the Democratic Party could rally around his plan, Kerry said: “Some yes and some no, for now. Maybe that will change over the next weeks and months. I think a lot of the grassroots of the party will embrace parts of it at least."
KR Washington Bureau
Even if Iraq forms a government, Kerry calls for all U.S. combat troops out by year's end, with the remainder housed in garrisons where they would help train Iraqi soldiers, offer backup security and respond to emergencies.
Democratic leaders in Washington have long worried that taking a stand against the war or calling for early withdrawal would label them weak on national security. But Kerry, in an interview with Knight Ridder, said that the stand he's calling for is "tough" and necessary. The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee laid out his plan first in an opinion piece published Wednesday in The New York Times. He is scheduled to speak further about his proposal in a speech Thursday from the Senate floor.
“No young American should be sacrificed because Iraqi politicians are screwing around unwilling to compromise,” Kerry said in the interview. “So you have to get tough. You have to give them a date. They have only responded to dates.”
“The only way now to get this thing on track, in my judgment, is to be tough and say, ‘Look our young soldiers are not going to lose their lives and our taxpayers aren’t going to pour billions of dollars so you guys can sit around every day and fight with each other.”
Does he worry that his call for a pullout will be interpreted as a feeble stance?
“I think it’s weak not to stand up and fight for the troops,” he said. “We will be stronger vis-a-vis Iran, we will be stronger vis-a-vis Russia and China. We will be stronger with respect to the Middle East and we’ll be stronger in our ability to fight against al Qaeda. All of those come out of this plan.”
Asked whether Congress was ready to follow public opinion against the war, Kerry said lawmakers weren’t ready to make that leap yet.
“One of the reasons I decided that the time had come to lay this out is that you have to break this logjam,” he said. “There is a reluctance by people here to push this envelope and I think you have to push it.
“If we’re just sitting here day to day swallowing this administration line that, ‘Oh there’s progress or something is happening,’ when we know every day looking at it that it isn’t, we’re irresponsible. We’re walking away from our fundamental responsibilities.”
Kerry’s position already was getting good reviews in liberal blogs, a reception that Kerry seemed to anticipate. Asked if the Democratic Party could rally around his plan, Kerry said: “Some yes and some no, for now. Maybe that will change over the next weeks and months. I think a lot of the grassroots of the party will embrace parts of it at least."
KR Washington Bureau
posted by madtom at 8:33 PM
4 Comments:
In other words, once again he is calling for exactly what is being done---with the exception of publicly stating a withdrawal date which would guarantee a balls out effort to prevent a government from forming---posturing idiot.........
You know I don't know, might also put the fear of god into the current batch of politicians.
By the way, welcome to the blog.
I'm dissapointed you don't recognize me as Strykerdad/bewildered--my hardrive crashed and I don't know my drunkenly saved password-------still me, still right wing nut---and if you don't think the Iraqis have been told to fear what is headed their way, you are naive. You have been crying about the seeming indifference of US forces to the civil-semi-war----you don't think they are getting a taste of what would happen should US forces pull out? Sink or swim my camel humping friends.......my eldest is headed there in 57 days for the second fucking time and you don't deserve what she is offering---or what any of us are offerring for that matter--god give us an alternative fuel so these sand dwellers can go back to beheading one another over the prettiest sheep as of olden times. I don't blame them for being bitter--I've had sand up the crack of my ass for more than a day, I can only imagine what a lifetime experience of such would do to a man, but learn to take showers already.....I'm sorry, but fuckem--they ahve been killing each other in spectacular fashion for centuries--if they want it, get out of the way and keep mine at safe distance. If they persist in bringing it here---we have been paying for these nukes for a reason just like this one, haven't we?
Sorry did not recognize, welcome back then.
A hell of a taste, and yet they can't seem to get their act together. There have been some disturbing news of late I don't know how caught up you are. The situation on the ground would appear to be extremely chaotic. The other day ITM reported that the terrorist had disrupted the newspaper distribution. There were no papers at the stand, terrorist had threatened to kill anyone distributing news. The number of daily killings and bombing, drive by shootings is uncountable. I'm glad I don;t do a daily kill list here on the blog, it would take me all day. And it's not just Baghdad, it's fucking everywhere. I think I read that Gen Pace was making some changes, like convoys will stop and fight if attacked, maybe it will make a difference. but for sure there are no just support and supply troops. I think everyone now is infantry
Post a Comment
<< Home