John Kerry on Iraq

I was talking with someone today and I was reminded that not much news is being put out on Democrats. With Bush jumping up and down trying to get the attention of the nation and divert attention from his blunders, it seems sometimes the Democrats are being shoved aside. So I'm getting back to talking about not just potential Democratic presidential candidates but Democrats who have something to say. Here's John Kerry on Iraq from Raw Story; the story is ten days old but Kerry has more relevant things to say our foreign policy than our current president:

In a speech at Boston's Faneuil Hall on Saturday morning, Democratic Senator John Kerry denounced President Bush's "Katrina foreign policy," and outlined a plan he called "5 R's" which would "make our country more secure."

"The leaders of this administration have shown in recent days that they will say anything, do anything, twist any truth, and endanger our nation's character as one America in a desperate ploy to survive a mid term election," said Kerry.

"But Americans now see through this charade," Kerry continued. "They know the truth."

(snip)

"There are five principal priorities that demand immediate action: (1) redeploy from Iraq, (2) re-commit to Afghanistan, (3) reduce our dependence on foreign oil, (4) reinforce our homeland defense, and (5) restore America's moral leadership in the world," Kerry outlined. "These "5 R's" -- if you want to call them that-- are bold steps Democrats will take to strengthen our national security, and that the Republicans who have set the agenda today resist to our national peril."

Kerry is calling for "a clear deadline of July, 2007 to redeploy our combat troops" from Iraq, and "at least five thousand additional American troops --more elite Special Forces troops, the best counter-insurgency units in the world; more civil affairs forces; and more experienced intelligence units" to reinforce NATO troops in Afghanistan where a "Taliban-led insurgency is running amok across entire regions of the country."

The mainstream media are acting these days as if there is only a monologue in this nation, or, if sometimes there's a dialogue, it's only between different factions of the Republican party. We need to change that.