Reply #31: What Kerry says: Bring some troops home depending on what happens [View All]

[Tom Joad]

to the Iraqi regime. Kerry opposes an unconditional withdraw, and it is unfair (to Kerry, and on the other side anti-war activists) to imply he does. This is at odds with what millions of people do want, an immediate withdraw is the only honarable way to end this illegal war.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/17/cnna.kerry/index.html
KERRY: I have laid out a plan where we could withdraw some 20,000 troops around the holidays, based on the fact -- not as a rigid timetable -- linked to the success of the election. (Full story)

We have about 160,000 troops in Iraq today, Wolf. We had 138,000; it went up for the purpose of making Iraq safer for the referendum and the election.

My benchmark is, if you have a successful election after having had a successful referendum, we've done our part with those extra troops; they should come home, taking us back to the level that we were at before that.

Then you set a target for the taking over of security responsibilities in Baghdad and another province ... in a sort of step-by-step basis. You set out a timetable, not for withdrawal, but for success, that allows you to withdraw. And I believe if you do the right things, and I've laid out what they are, we can bring the bulk of our combat troops home over the course of next year.