http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/161617-3750-010.htmlDemocrats, Kerry reach platform deal
Party's statement will include tough language on terrorism and the war in Iraq.
By Ken Thomas
Associated Press
July 11, 2004
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- John Kerry's presidential campaign avoided a platform fight Saturday by persuading activists to drop virulent language about the Iraq war that would have declared the conflict a mistake from the beginning.
The Democratic platform committee worked through the day at a beachfront resort to put the final touches on the party's statement of principles for the November elections.
The platform will be shaped heavily by national security crises and presumptive nominee Kerry's campaign.
First, however, the committee had to avoid demands by a group of activists that the document describe the entry into Iraq as a mistake and lay down an exit strategy to get U.S. forces out of Iraq. Still, the document includes tough language on terrorism and President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq.
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