> > > http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi > -0408100248aug10,1,3100827 > .story > > > CAMPAIGN 2004 > > > > Kerry: I would have backed war without WMD > > Bush touts plan for `ownership society' > Advertisement > From Tribune news services > > August 10, 2004 > > GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. -- Responding to President Bush's > challenge to clarify his position, Sen. John Kerry said Monday that he > would > have voted to authorize the war in Iraq even if he had known then that > U.S. > and allied forces would not find weapons of mass destruction. > At the same time, the Democratic presidential nominee said his goal as > president would be to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq during > his > first six months in office through a combination of diplomacy and > foreign > assistance. > "I believe if you do the statesmanship properly, I believe if you do > the > kind of alliance-building that is available to us, that it is > appropriate to > have a goal of reducing our troops" by August 2005, Kerry said. > Since last month's Democratic National Convention, the Massachusetts > senator > has been under mounting pressure to provide a clearer explanation of > his > views on the war. > Last Friday, Bush challenged Kerry to answer yes or no on whether he > would > have backed the war "knowing what we know now" about the failure to > find > weapons of mass destruction. > In response, Kerry said: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I > believe it was the right authority for a president to have." > But the Democratic challenger has charged that the president and his > advisers badly mishandled the war, and during the news conference he > posed > sharp questions for Bush. > "Why did we rush to war without a plan to win the peace?" he asked. > "Why did > you rush to war on faulty intelligence and not do the hard work > necessary to > give America the truth? > "Why did he mislead America about how he would go to war?" he added. > "Why > has he not brought other countries to the table in order to support > American > troops in the way they deserve it and relieve the pressure on the > American > people?" > In Annandale, Va., Bush pushed his "ownership society" message that > includes > home ownership as well as giving Americans more ownership interest in > their > health-care and retirement coverages. > "Listen, these are changing times," the president said Monday to an > invitation-only crowd at Northern Virginia Community College. "They > are much > different from the times when we came up. Most of our dads--at least > guys' > my age dads--worked for one company." > Bush drew several ovations, none louder than when he offered one > reason for > the growth of the federal deficit: > "There is a deficit because I made the decision to go after the enemy, > and > we were going to spend whatever money was necessary to defend > ourselves." > > Copyright � 2004, Chicago Tribune >
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