Reply #1: Kerry on the war in Iraq

[hansolsen]

Kerry on War in Iraq -- where we go from here

Reasonable people can disagree about whether of not this war is just, whether it should have been launched, and how it could have been managed better along the way. And it is easy for me, with 20/20 hindsight to say what I would have done differently. But I will not take that easy course tonight. I will tell you the values I hold that will guide my decisions in the middle east if I am elected:

1. First, I am a soldier. I will never stop being a soldier, and I will never send my fellow soldiers into combat in a war I believe we cannot win. I believe we can win this war, but not with George Bush's strategies.

> Therefore, I will keep troops in Iraq if I believe they are contributing to the security of a legitimate Iraqi government, and that government wants us there. If I conclude the standing government in Iraq is illegitimate, I will leave Iraq. And if a legitimate government demands that we leave, I will leave.

> I will not repeat the mistakes of Vietnam which I know so well. I will not ask our soldiers to fight a bloody war with one hand tied behind their backs. I will not leave American troops on the ground in Iraq, without a clear mission, and without the meaningful support of the Iraqi people. We cannot stand for the Iraqi people if they will not stand with us. That is a fool's errand and I will not use American troops to run a fool's errand.

2. Second, I value the truth. I will tell the American people the plain, unvarnished truth, and I will speak even when it is politically inconvenient to speak. Knowing this, it is not possible to discuss the war in Iraq, without discussing the fate of our ally, Israel. The war in Iraq is all about Israel; not exclusively, but inextricably.

> I am committed to the support and defense of a free and secure state on Israel, as so established by the United Nations in the mandate of 1949. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that mandate is enforced and the state of Israel continues to exist. In taking this action to support Israel, I will also ensure that the Palestinian people are treated with fairness and equity, as if they were my own family. I will see them treated as I would wish my own family to be treated. In fairness and equity we will find security and peace.

> I do not believe the war in Iraq is now making the world safer for either us or the state of Israel. That situation on the ground in Iraq must be radically changed for the better, and soon, or this course of action must be reconsidered. For our sake and for the sake of peace in the middle east. This will be my highest priority.