Kerry Responds to the Senate Vote on Iraq - NPR Interview
In an interview on WBUR's Here and Now tonight, John Kerry responded to the vote on withdrawal from Iraq today on the Senate Floor.
Listen to the interview here.
Kerry voted Nay today, on the Republican Amendment that was approved. In the interview Kerry outlines his objections to the Republican Amendment and points out the differences in the Democratic Amendment that was rejected.
When asked what he would say now to those who were against the war, Kerry responded "I would clearly not vote the same way."
John Kerry on Senate Vote
The U.S. Senate sent a strong message to President Bush today about the war in Iraq. Senators voted 79 to 19 in favor of a Republican amendment calling for 2006 to be a year of "significant transition" so that Iraqi troops can take over control and American troops can return home. Senators rejected a proposal from Democrats to set estimated timetables for withdrawal.
Listen to the interview here.
Kerry voted Nay today, on the Republican Amendment that was approved. In the interview Kerry outlines his objections to the Republican Amendment and points out the differences in the Democratic Amendment that was rejected.
"No, I did not vote for the Republican measure, because the Republican measure does not tie any of the benchmarks to the concept of actually withdrawing American troops. It leaves open how many American troops would be over there for how long. It specifically does not say that the United States should inform the Iraqi's we're not going to be ythere inevitably. It leaves completely open-ended that... and I think it's wrong to do that... I'm proud that I voted against it, because I don't think it's as specific as our amendemt was."
When asked what he would say now to those who were against the war, Kerry responded "I would clearly not vote the same way."
"If we had known that the President was not going to keep his word, and that, if the president had provided us the false intelligence at the time -- obviously I don't think anybody... I don't think there would have been a vote. And obviously, I would not have voted the way that I did. And, I regret enormously that the President has breeched faith with us in so many different ways. And obviously that vote... you know, I think everyone of us who voted that way, feels very badly about the way in which the President has let us down and let the country down in the process. Clearly we wouldn't have had the vote if we had known what we know today, and knowing what we know today, I would clearly not vote the same way."
posted by Pamela J. Leavey at 10:19 PM
1 Comments:
So Bush was wrong about WMDs. Now 2000+ are dead, $200 billion is spent, 15,000+ wounded and maimed, with no end in sight. Pretty expensive mistake. Don't we pay the president to get it right? Isn't this mistake alone enough to condemn him? Other people and countries -- including the oft-maligned French -- were telling him he was wrong. He ignored them all. He was determined to go to war, no matter what the real threats were. He did not use war as a last resort, as he said he would. I think that ignoring the truth, along with sending men into battle with faulty intelligence ought to be a punishable offense.
I know that if I cost our country 2000 lives and $200 billion I would be in big trouble. The president should be in big trouble. Getting it wrong ought to matter and it ought to have consequences. Getting it wrong certainly has had consequences for the 2000+ dead and the 15,000+ wounded and maimed. It certainly has consequences for all our citizens and for our economy. President Bush seems to be trying to pass the buck. Where does the buck stop? Don't we need to get people in there who don't make the kinds of mistakes that George W. Bush makes? Hmmm?
They got it wrong on pre-war intelligence, wrong on Katrina, wrong on tax cuts for the rich, wrong on cuts in benefits for the poor, wrong on burgeoning deficits. How much else are they wrong about? How long are we going to take it? George W. Bush and the Republicans are just Wrong for America.
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