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US should set two deadlines leading to Iraq pullout: John Kerry
 WASHINGTON - The United States should set a May 15 deadline for Iraqis to form a unity government and then plan to withdraw its troops by years end, Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry said in commentary published on Wednesday in The New York Times. If Iraqis arent willing to build a unity government in the five months since the election, theyre probably not willing to build one at all. The civil war will only get worse, and we will have no choice anyway but to leave, Kerry said.
| Which is what JFK wants us to do anyway. |
Joining a growing chorus criticizing the US-led occupation of Iraq, Kerry said it was immoral ... to engage in the same delusion as in Vietnam, where half of the US casualties occurred after Americas leaders knew our strategy would not work.
| Except our casualty rate is going down, not up. The civilian casualty rate is going down. Doesn't quite sound like a 'quagmire', does it John? |
Kerry described the current situation as the third war in Iraq in as many years. The first was against Saddam Hussein and his supposed weapons of mass destruction. The second was against terrorists whom, the administration said it was better to fight over there than here. Now we find our troops in the middle of an escalating civil war.
| The civil war isn't escalating, and indeed it isn't a civil war. Right now it's a) the remanents of the Jihadis and al-Q trying to start a civil war and b) dead squads going around getting payback. Neither is good, and neither is a civil war. |
Iraqi leaders so far have responded only to deadlines -- a deadline to transfer authority to a provisional government, and a deadline to hold three elections, Kerry said. Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15 to put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military.
| Which tells the jihadis and death squaders that they need a maximum output between now and May 16th. |
If Iraqs leaders succeed in putting together a government, then we must agree on another deadline: a schedule for withdrawing American combat forces by years end, Kerry said.
To get things rolling, Kerry suggested bringing all the leaders of Iraqi factions together in a neutral setting where, working with US allies, the Arab League and the United Nations, they would be compelled to reach a political agreement.
| What does this guy have with the UN? And why does his proposal sound like the Paris negotiations during the Vietnam War? |
Kerry dismissed the US governments reluctance to put pressure on the Iraqis for fear of making things worse. In fact, terrible things are happening now because we havent gotten tough enough. With two deadlines, we can change all that, said the senator from Massachusetts.
| JFK trying to sound tough is like Barney Fife threatening to fire his pistol. |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-04-06 |
