Kerry MUST rethink his Iraq policy.

[Cascadian]

As you already know, Kerry wants to keep U.S. troops in Iraq under a UN/NATO plan. But one little problem. It should have been done a year ago. It is too and little too late.

Kerry should be trashing Bush for his misguided and deadly adventurism but he really isn't. He does not even have an alternative plan that is nothing more than putting a bandaid on a broken arm. If anybody thinks that Kerry's plan will work are only kidding themselves. The bottom line is to face the facts that we lost and only staying there will get make things worse. It is naive and shortsighted to think that NATO or the UN are going to step in and everything is going to be peachy. You can argue until the cows come home that we broke it and we must fix it. That is just bunk.

Another thing I had noticed is Kerry has no exit startegy for his Iraq plan. What gives? Has Kerry already forgotten what he said before Congress as a young Vietnam veteran...

"How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

It's time to get our people out of Iraq. If Kerry does not do this then his words he spoke all those years ago will come back to haunt him. It's time to get out of Iraq.

John

[Old and In the Way]

1. How do we know that Bush won't have turned Iraq into a fused parking

lot by November? Whatever time Kerry wastes thinking up 3000 different scenarios to exiting Iraq won't be worth a damn by the time he takes office. We could be out of Iraq entirely or in the middle of WW3. I totally trust Kerry's instincts to do the right thing at the moment he takes over the Presidency.

Our time would be better spent demanding Bush to execute an exit plan now, so Kerry won't be burdened with that mess when he is elected President.

"Kerry should be trashing Bush for his misguided and deadly adventurism but he really isn't." He has, why not take a walk on the internet highway over to www.johnkerry.com and read his criticism of Bush's Iraqi folly for yourself.

Just because you post distortions of his positions here, doesn't make it true.

[UTUSN]

2. Could Shrub Rethink His Iraq Policy, PLEASE? n/t

[Teddy_Salad]

3. Well Kerry wants McCain as Sec. of Def.

Think that'll help? :shrug:

I doubt it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1215615,00.html

[Jacobin]

4. By the time Kerry gets in office, IraqNam will be sooooo

completely and utterly fucked up and out of control, that there is no way he can come up with solutions nine months out.

I'm counting on him to keep his powder dry. He'll have his hands busy trying to unscrew this damn middle east mess.

It will take decades.

[Poiuyt]

5. Kerry would be labeled as a flip-flopper

You're right, of course. But Kerry has to be careful how he does it. Republicans are not good at running on any policy, but they are the masters at slinging mud.

[Cascadian]

10. Are you saying he should "play along" with Bush?

And then once in office, he pulls the troops out. I hope you are right and I hope that tactic works for the sake of our people there and for the Iraqis.


John

[iangb]

6. It can be fixed......but....

.....Kerry's gonna need an admin with some international cred.

That means Clarke and/or some recycled Clinton faces to do some intense fence-mending with your former friends.

Maybe then Kerry's plans for 'internationalising' Iraq's transition to some sort of democracy would be feasible.

In any case it's not realistic to talk of getting US troops out at this stage........what's needed urgently is to strip the Pentagon of responsibility for managing Iraq. State could do no worse......and would most likely do much, much better.

[UTUSN]

7. *

[Redleg]

8. I like that response. I will have to try it.

LOL

[Aidoneus]

9. Within ANY context of occupation, it cannot be "fixed"

Not under Kerry, or NATO, or the UN, or any collection of flags working as mercenaries in any arrangement..

If by "fixed", you mean a continued occupation, streamlined PR campaign and more effective spin control, profits from the raped nation spread out more evenly among hired guns.. it will fail, and should fail.