Kerry Says Bush Lacks Viable Security Plan
July 17, 2003
New York Times
"Let me state it plainly," said Mr. Kerry, a Democratic presidential contender. "Just as we did not have a viable plan for Iraq after the capture of Baghdad, today we still do not have a real plan and enough resources for preparedness against a terrorist attack."
It was among the sterner rebukes of Mr. Bush so far by a Democratic candidate on the topic of national security, and it came in a week in which nearly all the Democratic prospects have been attacking the president on the issue.
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut called today for the resignation of George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, following in the footsteps of Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, who made a similar demand on Sunday.Mr. Kerry leveled fresh accusations that the administration had not been forthcoming in its policies about Iraq, particularly in its efforts to promote the war. "It is clear that a dangerous gap in credibility has developed between President Bush's tough rhetoric and timid policies which don't do nearly enough to protect Americans from danger," he said. Mr. Kerry said the president had purposefully stalled the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and suggested, ungently, that he "get out of the way."
"It's time we were told the truth about America's safety," he said. "It's time we had a president who will truly make this nation more secure."
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/clips/news_2003_0717a.html Kerry Statement on the allegation that CIA Director Admitted White House Pressure on Intelligence Info
July 17, 2003
Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry today responded to allegations announced this morning by US Senator Richard Durbin that CIA Director George Tenet admitted that an unnamed White House official pressured the CIA to allow unverified nuclear claims to be included in the State of the Union.
John Kerry said, “It’s deeply troubling, but not altogether surprising, to learn that there may have been direct political pressure exerted on the CIA to exaggerate nuclear claims in the President’s state of the union address. This is just more evidence that, as I said yesterday, President Bush must support a full and independent investigation so that the American people know the full truth about what happened.”
The Associated Press reported this morning: “CIA Director George Tenet told members of Congress a White House official insisted that President Bush's State of the Union address include an assertion about Saddam Hussein's nuclear intentions that had not been verified, a Senate Intelligence Committee member said Thursday. Sen. Dick Durbin, who was present for a 4.5-hour appearance by Tenet behind closed doors with Intelligence Committee members Wednesday, said Tenet named the official. But the Illinois Democrat said that person's identity could not be revealed because of the confidentiality of the proceedings.”
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_0717.html Can you tell me why Tenent didn't resign then? He admitted that the CIA had helped include the phony info in the SOTU. Why wasn't anyone fired?Statement from John Kerry on CIA Director George Tenet’s Speech at Georgetown University
February 05, 2004
“Today, the CIA Director, George Tenet, admitted that the intelligence agencies never told the White House that Iraq posed an imminent threat. But that’s not what the Bush White House told the American people. They said Iraq posed a ‘mortal threat,’ an ‘urgent threat,’ an ‘immediate threat,’ a ‘serious threat,’ and, yes, an ‘imminent threat’ to the people of the United States.
“Today, we found out that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and the rest of the Administration weren’t passing on sound facts on Iraq to the American people - they were playing politics with our national security.
“Americans should be able to trust that what the President tells them is true - especially when it comes to the life and death decisions of war and peace.
“We need to restore America’s credibility around the world and the trust of the American people in their government at home. That’s not going to happen with a sham commission hand-picked by George Bush to look into how these faulty facts on Iraq made it to the American people. It’s not going to happen while the Bush White House continues its stalling and stonewalling. What we need is for this President to take responsibility - to face the truth - and to finally tell the truth to the American people. And we need that now.”
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0205f.html
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