John Kerry Slams Bush on Handling of Mideast Conflict: “The President Has Been So Absent on Diplomacy”

John Kerry was in Detroit today stumping for Gov. Jennifer Granholm's re-election campaign. While on the campaign trail with Granholm, Kerry took some time to take a jab or two at the Bush administration for its "lack of leadership in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict."

"If I was president, this wouldn't have happened," said Kerry during a noon stop at Honest John's bar and grill in Detroit's Cass Corridor.

Bush has been so concentrated on the war in Iraq that other Middle East tension arose as a result, he said.

"The president has been so absent on diplomacy when it comes to issues affecting the Middle East," Kerry said. "We're going to have a lot of ground to make up (in 2008) because of it."

Detroit News writer Valerie Olander, made certain to note the "narrow margin" of the Bush win in 2004 and speculated that Kerry "plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2008." Kerry has been adamant that he won't discuss plans for '08 until after the '06 mid-term elections, but it's always great to see some media speculation leaning toward the "run John run" message.

The fighting between Israel and Lebanon reached 12th day mark today. Israel has begun a ground invasion and AP reports that the Saudis have asked Bush to "intervene in Mideast." They are "sending tanks and troops across the border as thousands of Lebanese have fled to escape the fighting."

Israel began a ground invasion, sending tanks and troops across the border as thousands of Lebanese have fled to escape the fighting.

Hezbollah guerillas should have been targeted with other terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaida and the Taliban, which operate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kerry said. However, Bush, has focused military strength on Iraq.

"This is about American security and Bush has failed. He has made it so much worse because of his lack of reality in going into Iraq.…We have to destroy Hezbollah," he said.