NOTE to John F. Kerry (D-Mekong Delta): Run with
Wesley Clark (D-NATO)...Run on the foolish military
adventure in Iraq, run on the pre-Iraq lies, run on
Abu Ghraib, run on the "post-war" failure, run on the
"post-war" failure in Afghanistan, run on 9/11 itself,
the pre-9/11 White House failures, the post-9/11 White
House cover-up, but also run on the Federal deficit
and global warming. Throw the book(s) at the
incredible shrinking _resident: Richard Clarke's book,
Paul O'Neill's book, Joe Wilson's book...these three
men served in the Bush abomination...Read the
INCITMENT...Run on SECURITY: not only NATIONAL
SECURTY, but ECONOMIC SECURITY and ENVIRONMENTAL
SECURITY. Ask "are you safer today than you were four
years ago?" Osama bin Laden is offering bounties for
the assasination of the UN General Secretary. Say, "I
am running with Wesley Clark, because we are in a war
and this administration does not know how to win wars,
it only knows how to start them." By choosing Wes
Clark you are telling all of them, the House of Bush,
the House of Bin Laden, the House of Saud and the
House of Sharon: "You better hope nothing happens to
me." AND, you will win Arkansas, Arizona and maybe
even Oklahoma...
Wesley Clark (D-NATO): The truth is President Bush has made mistake after mistake as Commander-in-Chief, taking us first into a war we didn't have to fight alone and under false pretenses and now managing it so poorly.
Repdudiate the 9/11 Cover-Up and the Iraq War Lies,
Show Up for Democracy in 2004: Defeat Bush (again!)
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0508.html
Democratic Radio Address to the Nation by Wesley Clark
May 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
Good Morning. This is General Wesley Clark, United
States Army retired
This week the world has been shocked and angered, and
America’s moral leadership’s been undercut, by the
terrible pictures of a small number of our US military
people abusing Iraqi prisoners
The President apologized; he’s recognized and stated
that these acts were 'stains on our honor'. And it’s
right that he’s done so.
But apologies are not enough. These criminal acts of
abuse must be investigated fully and those responsible
must be held accountable under law. We must fix our
training and procedures so this cannot happen again.
Amends must be made to Iraqis who suffered these
humiliations through real and symbolic gestures, such
as the dismantling of Abu Ghraib prison itself.
The issues at stake here go to the very heart of the
American mission in Iraq. For, by our own claims,
we’re different. We came to liberate, not to occupy.
We came to 'free', not to imprison. With our
character, we don't torture, or maim, or coerce. And
if the mission was endangered by the prospects of our
use of heavy force against insurgents in Fallujah and
Najaf – and it was so endangered. It is no less
endangered by the loss of credibility caused by the
misconduct of a few American soldiers. This is a
mission in trouble.
At this time, my thoughts go out to our soldiers, our
Marines, their families. Because they've served so
courageously and so well. And at great cost. Over 700
have died; more than 4,000 have been wounded. And just
this week the Administration announced that it must
keep 135,000 troops in Iraq through 2005. What this
means is repetitive tours, repetitive family
separations and more fears that one's husband, or
wife, or child, won't make it safely home.
We owe the men and women in the Armed Forces a
tremendous debt of gratitude. But we also owe them the
proper equipment – the armored vests, the armored
vehicles, the radios that they need so they can do the
job safely. Yet, more than a year after the President
sent them into battle, they still don't have this
equipment. Some 200 lives might have been spared had
they had the protective gear and armored equipment
that the mission actually requires. 200 Lives. It’s an
inexcusable loss. The Bush Administration should have
addressed this issue long ago. It must do so
immediately.
But the larger picture is also disturbing. Our
President took us to war with exaggerated, hyped
intelligence. He took us to war in Iraq without an
imminent threat to our country. He took us to war
before all the diplomatic options were exhausted. He
took us to war before our allies were fully on board,
and before we had a realistic plan or adequate forces
to deal with what would happen after we reached
Baghdad. And all of this campaign was a distraction
from our pursuit of Osama bin Laden, who was after all
our real enemy.
The truth is President Bush has made mistake after
mistake as Commander-in-Chief, taking us first into a
war we didn't have to fight alone and under false
pretenses and now managing it so poorly.
The mission itself in danger as the self-imposed June
30th deadline for transfer of sovereignty to the
Iraqis approaches. If we’re to prevent Iraq from
becoming a failed state that breeds new terrorists,
America must change course. Enough of the
unilateralism and over reliance on the men and women
in uniform. We must bring in our allies, give them a
seat at the decision making table and together create
an international organization to provide economic and
political assistance as Iraqis form their own
government. The United States must not bear so much of
the burden. And we’re unlikely to succeed if we
continue to do so.
With new American leadership we can gain real help
from our NATO allies - and from countries in the
region. With their help, we can create the conditions
for free and fair elections, transition to a secure
and free Iraq, and bring home much of our military.
My fellow Americans this is an election year. It is
our duty as citizens to use the power of the vote and
hold accountable our President. I believe we need new
leadership in America to keep us safe at home, to win
the war on terror and to regain respect for America
abroad.
Thank you.