Kerry: Bring 20,000 Troops Home from Iraq

NewsMax ^ | Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 10:55 a.m. EDT | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kromike]

Sen. John Kerry says President Bush should bring home 20,000 troops from Iraq over the Christmas holidays if the December parliamentary elections there are successful.

Defeated by Bush last year and a potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, Kerry called for a "reasonable time frame" for pulling back troops rather than a full-scale withdrawal advocated by some Democrats. He said it could be completed in 12 to 15 months.

"It will be hard for this administration, but it is essential to acknowledge that the insurgency will not be defeated unless our troop levels are drawn down, starting immediately after successful elections in December," Kerry said in a speech prepared for delivery Wednesday at Georgetown University. Excerpts of the speech were obtained by the Associated Press.

The presence of 159,000 U.S. troops in Iraq is deterring peace efforts, said Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"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," he said. "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."

Kerry, who voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq, has been a strong critic of Bush's handling of the war, accusing the president of misleading the public into going to war.

© 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[traderrob6]

Exactly right, see here....

http://exposingtheleft.blogspot.com/2005/10/kerry-bring-20000-troops-home-from.html

[KarlInOhio]

If we follow Kerry's plan to it's logical end, who will get on the last helicopter out of Baghdad and who will be left behind.

[LexBaird]

Perhaps we should start with the American troops in Bosnia that Clinton promised would be home by Christmas 1996.

[Froufrou]

That's a great place to start. Why is it that Democrats never look at their own shortcomings? Why do they always accuse the opposition of what they are doing themselves?

[gondramB]

"Perhaps we should start with the American troops in Bosnia that Clinton promised would be home by Christmas 1996."


We can't do that, Russia wants them to stay.... /sarcasm

[maggief]

"Do you have chili and frosty drinks?"



Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., right, orders lunch as he makes a campaign appearance for Democratic mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer, left, at El Castillo de Jagua restaurant on the Lower East Side, in New York, Monday, Oct. 24, 2005. Ferrer faces Republican incumbent Michael Bloomberg Nov. 8 in the mayoral race. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

[silverleaf]

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," he said. "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."

And history shows that the last time John Kerry was "right" about the best US policy in any foreign involvement was ..... ??? Remember, this is the man who spoke before Congress during the "Winter Soldier" charade and testified we should withdraw from Vietnam because communism could not be defeated.

[Dark Knight]

Wonder how the French looking JFK came up the the number of 20,000? I know that Crinton like 100,000. But 20,000. what's the significance.<<

Admiral JFen Kerry, the most qualified military mind of our age, has determined that Christmas is the milestone in Iraq that the Iraqis will be much more able to defend themselves.

I think he has been into Teresas raison stocks.

DK

[jmaroneps37]

frenchie the military "expert".

[joesnuffy]

John Kerry...and his opinions.. throughly REJECTED by Americans, just about a year ago,... continues to 'cluelessly yammer on' day after day.....as if that day... never happened..

[travlnmn41]

I'm a tech sgt. in the Air Force Reserve with 8 years of active duty service. I've met real Purple Heart recipients, most of whom have some kind of disability. That's what p*sses me off so much about Kerry. A grain of rice embedded in the skin of his *ss. That was his injury.

[hershey]

Kerry plans to move to France after he sells out this country.

[calrighty]

Kerry has to be a head case.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

flip-floping is his entire political platform, just like his step-sister Hillary.

They spend their careers just saying what groups of people want to hear at that given minute to get 51% of the vote.

They have no morals and don't stand for anything. The only thing they stand for is whatever will get them 51% of the vote at that given minute.

[BenLurkin]

[NRA2BFree]

"it is essential to acknowledge that the insurgency will not be defeated unless our troop levels are drawn down

Huh? I'm no military leader so I don't understand what Kerry is saying. I would think we needed MORE troops to defeat the "insurgency." Can someone please give me 'How To Win A War By Drawing Down Troops - Lesson #101'? LOL

[hattend]

"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,"

Yeah, we saw how well that worked in Vietnam, you nimrod.

[NRA2BFree]

This guy is an idiot. "Yes, Senator, if there are only 130,000 troops instead of 150,000 troops, we will quit being terrorists as often." Moronic. This would just make the troops more vulnerable by weakening their overall strength.

I can't for the life of me understand how decreasing the number of troops would cause the enemy to decrease theirs either. He's an absolute moron!

[Chinito]

Kerry who?

[DakotaGator]

ROFLMAO! Will clean screen next ;-)