Kerry statement on Intel Report that says Iraq action creating terrorists [View All]

[TayTay]

“The National Intelligence Estimate provides jarring confirmation that the disastrous policy in Iraq is a giant recruiting poster for terrorists and it is weakening our hand in the war on terror. Terrorist organizations from Al Qaeda to Hezbollah are thrilled that we are bogged down in Iraq, even as the Administration misleads America with fear and sloganeering.

“The truth is clear: Rather than being the central front in the war on terror President Bush claims, Iraq is a fuel depot for terror fanning the flames of worldwide jihadism. Incompetence and ideology has left us with more terrorists in the world who want to kill Americans.

“Make no mistake, there is no way to regain lost ground in the war on terror without redeploying out of Iraq and making Iraqis stand up for Iraq. We must set a deadline to get out of Iraq and refocus on the real war on terror.”

This was the argument Kerry had in April when he asked for a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. This is the argument he made on the floor of the US Senate in June when he and Sen. Feingold forced a discussion on withdrawing troops from Iraq under a timetable. This is the same argument he used last month in a speech at Faneuil Hall when he said that our contuned presence in Iraq is fueling, not undermining, support for the insurgency.

He's still making that argument. This report backs up what he said and reinforces the idea that we need to get out of Iraq because our presence there is hurting our own goal of reducing terrorism.