In terms of the big picture, has anything gone right there? I concede we captured Saddam (good) but created chaos (not good). Was it worth it?
The troops have helped as much as they could, but now we're pulling back in territories due to the insurgents. So that's why I say "big picture."
Also, does anyone agree with this?
Kerry laid out a four-point plan:
First, Bush should convene the world's major powers and Iraq's neighbors to insist they make good on a U.N. resolution calling for international troop contributions and financial assistance, he said.
"He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles. ... He should give other countries a stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process," he said.
Second, Kerry said, Bush "must get serious about training Iraqi security forces."
He pointed to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's recent statement that Iraq has 95,000 trained security forces -- down from more than 200,000 the administration was previously touting. Kerry said that far fewer are fully trained.
Third, he said, Bush "must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people."
And finally, Kerry said, the president "must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee that the promised elections can be held next year."
If he would move in this direction and take all the necessary steps, "we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring our troops home within the next four years. That can be achieved."
This is from his NYU speech today. Anyone who's complained that Kerry doesn't have a plan. . .well, here it is. You can start making judgements based on that.
<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~stan_ferguson/GFMSIG_copy.jpg" width="300" height="107"></p>
"Only Vice President Cheney still insists that the earth is flat."
This message was edited by GodsFavoriteMan on 9-20-04 @ 6:07 PM