Reply #12: AP review of the speech

[Mass]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/03/05/kerry_us_must_end_the_empire_of_oil_to_win_war_on_terror/

Kerry: U.S. must 'end the empire of oil' to win war on terror

March 5, 2006

LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland --The United States must rebuild the power of the United Nations and help "end the empire of oil" if it wants to win the "war on terror," U.S. Sen. John Kerry said Sunday.
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The Massachusetts Democrat avoided explicit criticisms of the Bush administration during a wide-ranging speech on the global dynamics of terror. But he said Bush's policy of imposing democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan risked looking like a crusade.

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Kerry said the UN must play a forceful role in places like Iraq and Darfur, referring to the western region of Sudan where Sudanese Arab militias have been wiping out black African communities with impunity.

"Literally, the West must reclaim its moral leadership," he said.

Developing effective replacements for oil-based fuels also was key, he said. The West's insatiable appetite for petroleum from the Middle East "has frustrated every impulse towards modernization of the region, while giving its regimes the resources to hold onto power. The international community of democratic nations cannot afford to continue funding both sides of the war on terror. We must end the empire of oil."

Good coverage, globally.

Interesting that they noted the absence of criticism of Bush (I assume this was because the speech was made abroad). It is interesting because my husband had exactly the same reaction. He said that the speech would have been more forceful if Kerry had noted more clearly how * had not done these things.