Kerry blasts Bush’s policies in Iraq

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says President Bush is too stubborn and is risking American lives in Iraq. Kerry says U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq today are in more harms way than they need to be. He says Bush should invite other countries to “share the burden and share the risk” with the U.S. Kerry says the Bush Administration “in stubbornness has refused to make arrangements with the United Nations, to bring Indian and Pakistani and other troops into Iraq, so they too can bear some of the burden of helping to do what is in the world’s interest.”Kerry says Bush is “stuck in a stubborn, unilateralist and somewhat arrogant position” and refuses to do what’s necessary to provide the best security to U.S. troops in Iraq. Kerry says “it is good, old, plain, down-home common sense” for the U.S. to have other partners in Iraq to reduce the cost to American taxpayers, reduce the sense of American occupation of the country, to take the target off the backs of American troops and increase the chance of success of the mission. Kerry, who is a Vietnam era vet, met with about 20 Iowa veterans this morning in front of the Vietnam War Memorial on the statehouse grounds in Des Moines.