(2004-09-24) -- Democrat presidential contender John Forbes Kerry today offered to give Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi a guided tour of Iraq to clear up misunderstandings that Mr. Allawi has about the situation in his own nation.
"I'm grateful to Sen. Kerry for his generous offer," said Mr. Allawi at a joint Rose Garden news conference with President George Bush. "I'm sure he has a much clearer perspective on events in my homeland than I do."
A spokesman for the Kerry-Edwards campaign said the tour will help Prime Minister Allawi to "see the ugly face of American foreign policy and petro-imperialism, and strip him of his misplaced optimism."
Asked about Mr. Kerry's trip to Iraq, President Bush said, "He might as well go now, because after I'm re-elected, he'll probably get called up in the draft."
