My take on the Kerry speech on Iraqi war

[madokie]

I believe the carnage will not stop until we have a complete and total withdrawal. We must ask the UN to step in, and I'm saying they should be ready because it's been plain to me for quite some time they will ultimately have to. My argument is that the Iraqi citizens will not have anything to do with anything that looks, smells or reminds them of the USA. We must vacate before the UN will be able to do anything. It breaks my heart to read and see, what little gets through, what we are doing to their homes, cities, infrastructure. Not to mention poisoning their soil, water and air with DU. Not to mention the suffering and deaths. Would you trust or want anything to do with a country that done this to you? I didn't think so... Americans must leave for we have done so much wrong.:cry:


http://daoureport.salon.com/synopsis.aspx?synopsisId=e7...

edited:

[emulatorloo]

1. DU lets you quote 4 paragraphs, so here goes:

<snip>

Excerpts From John Kerry's Iraq speech at Georgetown University, October 26th:

“A few weeks ago I departed Iraq from Mosul. Three Senators and staff were gathered in the forward part of a C-130. In the middle of the cavernous cargo hold was a simple, aluminum coffin with a small American flag draped over it. We were bringing another American soldier, just killed, home to his family and final resting place. The starkness of his coffin in the center of the hold, the silence except for the din of the engines, was a real time cold reminder of the consequences of decisions for which we Senators share responsibility."

"The country and the Congress were misled into war. I regret that we were not given the truth; as I said more than a year ago, knowing what we know now, I would not have gone to war in Iraq. And knowing now the full measure of the Bush Administration’s duplicity and incompetence, I doubt there are many members of Congress who would give them the authority they abused so badly. I know I would not."

"To those who suggest we should withdraw all troops immediately – I say No. A precipitous withdrawal would invite civil and regional chaos and endanger our own security. But to those who rely on the overly simplistic phrase “we will stay as long as it takes,” who pretend this is primarily a war against Al Qaeda, and who offer halting, sporadic, diplomatic engagement, I also say – No, that will only lead us into a quagmire. The way forward in Iraq is not to pull out precipitously or merely promise to stay “as long as it takes.” To undermine the insurgency, we must instead simultaneously pursue both a political settlement and the withdrawal of American combat forces linked to specific, responsible benchmarks."

"At the first benchmark, the completion of the December elections, we can start the process of reducing our forces by withdrawing 20,000 troops over the course of the holidays. The Administration must immediately give Congress and the American people a detailed plan for the transfer of military and police responsibilities on a sector by sector basis to Iraqis so the majority of our combat forces can be withdrawn. No more shell games, no more false reports of progress, but specific and measurable goals."

<snip>