Kerry Gets Tough on Iraq

"Time to get tough," John Kerry, said in an interview yesterday referring to his OP/ED on Iraq published in yesterday's NY Times. Kerry is expected to deliver a floor speech today in the Senate on his Iraq proposal.

The Boston Globe reports today in a review of Kerry's OP/ED, "Kerry's plan -- first laid out in an article he wrote that was published in yesterday's New York Times opinion page -- builds on a speech he delivered in October in which he endorsed a series of steps the United States should take in Iraq, ending in the withdrawal of American troops by the end of 2006." And as to be expected...

President Bush has flatly rejected suggestions that tie any troop withdrawals to specific timelines. White House spokesman Scott McClellan yesterday brushed aside proposals to bring American forces home quickly.

''The worst thing we could do is withdraw before the mission is complete," McClellan said. ''That would be retreating, and that's exactly what the terrorists want us to do."

The Boston Globe also noted the support of Kerry's proposal from Gart Hart and Russ Feingold, which I reported here yesterday along with support from the liberal blogosphere. And, Editor & Publisher has more on the White House response here.

The WaPo noted today, "Kerry has been a persistent critic of the administration's conduct of the war, saying repeated mistakes have made success more and more difficult to achieve."

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