Kerry's call for pulling out of Iraq (list of references).

[Mass]

I put this post together to try to keep track of the different answers to Kerry's call yesterday and have them altogether if I needed them.

I know this is not exhaustive, so, please, if you have posts that I dont have, post them here.




It all started by a Kerry's editorial in the NYTimes calling for a firm timetable to get out of Iraq.

hhttp://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2006_0405.html

Two Deadlines and an Exit

WE are now in 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.

...

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. If Iraqis aren't willing to build a unity government in the five months since the election, they're 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.

If Iraq's leaders succeed in putting together a government, then we must agree on another deadline: a schedule for withdrawing American combat forces by year's end. Doing so will empower the new Iraqi leadership, put Iraqis in the position of running their own country and undermine support for the insurgency, which is fueled in large measure by the majority of Iraqis who want us to leave their country. Only troops essential to finishing the job of training Iraqi forces should remain.

For this transition to work, we must finally begin to engage in genuine diplomacy. We must immediately bring the leaders of the Iraqi factions together at a Dayton Accords-like summit meeting. In a neutral setting, Iraqis, working with our allies, the Arab League and the United Nations, would be compelled to reach a political agreement that includes security guarantees, the dismantling of the militias and shared goals for reconstruction.

...

We will defeat Al Qaeda faster when we stop serving as its best recruitment tool. Iraqis ultimately will not tolerate foreign jihadists on their soil, and the United States will be able to maintain an over-the-horizon troop presence with rapid response capacity. An exit from Iraq will also strengthen our hand in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat and allow us to repair the damage of repeated deployments, which flag officers believe has strained military readiness and morale.
...

While the Democrats did not rush to endorse the plan, a few reacted positively and quickly.

Among them,

- Russ Feingold,

http://www.senatedemocrats.net/node/758

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold

On Senator John Kerry's Call for an

End to Our Military Mission in Iraq

April 5, 2006

Since August 18, 2005 I have been calling on the Administration to aim to redeploy U.S. military personnel from Iraq by the end of this year so that we can focus on the threat posed by global terrorist networks. I applaud Senator Kerry’s call today for our combat forces to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this year. Senator Kerry has been a strong leader in calling for a clear, coherent strategy to complete our military mission in Iraq while engaging Iraq’s leaders with genuine diplomacy. Having just visited Iraq last month, I witnessed the desperate need for Iraqi politicians to form a unity government to prevent the country from falling deeper into violence. Senator Kerry is absolutely right to say that the end of this year is a reasonable target date for redeploying our troops in Iraq.”

- Gary Hart,

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2006_0405a.html

Leadership On Iraq

The Huffington Post

By Gary Hart

John Kerry has drawn a line in the sands of Iraq and has forcefully and specifically laid down a marker for the administration, the Democratic party, and the nation.

No other public official to date has had the courage to face the truth, that Iraqi democracy is now, finally, up to the Iraqi people, not the United States.

The Bush administration must now be required to respond to the Kerry time-table, to refute it with more than slogans and rhetoric, and to tell the American people, once and for all, when and how we intend to extricate ourselves from this Vietnam-in-the-desert.

Other Democratic leaders must now be heard on the question of whether they agree or disagree, in specific terms, with the Kerry initiative.

...

- Max Cleland,

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2006_0405c.html

A Brother in Arms

By Max Cleland

I’m proud of my friend John Kerry for speaking up.

He’s been in some tough political fights these last years and he fought like hell. It would’ve been easy to walk away, but that’s not who John is. Losing a hard and bitter campaign made John think even more about what he cares about, reflect on what got him into public service in the first place, and now he’s fighting his heart out right now with all the conviction and passion he had at 27. There’s an old saying that I believe in, and I believe applies to my friend John today: he’s “stronger at the broken places.”

John ‘s OpEd in today’s New York Times is the best of his head and his heart.

He knows it’s hard serving in a war that’s gone wrong. It’s even harder when you know there are politicians in Washington afraid to speak out for a better policy.
...

Some news agencies reported on the news:

- Agence France-Press

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060405/pl_afp/usiraqkerry

US should set two deadlines leading to Iraq pullout: John Kerry

Wed Apr 5, 9:06 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States should set a May 15 deadline for Iraqis to form a unity government and then plan to withdraw its troops by year's end, Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate
John Kerry said.

"If Iraqis aren't willing to build a unity government in the five months since the election, they're 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 wrote in commentary published in The New York Times.

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 America's leaders knew our strategy would not work."

Kerry described the current situation as "the third war in Iraq in as many years.

...

-Knight Ridders,

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/14271819.htm

Debate in Congress over Iraq war grows louder
By Steven Thomma, Tim Funk and James Kuhnhenn
Knight Ridder Newspapers

* Kerry calls for decisions in Iraq

WASHINGTON - If Congress ever turns against the war in Iraq, analysts may look back at this week as a turning point.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on Wednesday urged setting a May 15 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops unless Iraq forms a unity government, and even if Iraq does form a government, Kerry urged complete American withdrawal by year's end. His twin-deadline proposal makes the 2004 presidential nominee the most prominent Democrat pushing for early full withdrawal.

At the same time, three Republicans in the House of Representatives endorsed a resolution calling for a robust and lengthy congressional debate on Iraq. While they're far short of the votes needed to force such a debate, a coalition of 40 anti-war activist groups is mounting a national campaign to drum up public pressure behind the resolution. That campaign targets lawmakers as they head home for a two-week Easter recess to listen to constituents in this election year, when Republicans are already anxious that they might lose control of Congress in November.

...

Kerry was all over progressive news radio talk-shows:

- Al Franken

http://www.kerrysupport.com/media/Kerry-AAR-040506.mp3

- Ed Schultz

http://audio.wegoted.com/podcasting/40506Kerry.mp3

- Randy Rhodes

- The Imus Show on tomorrow.

and will be on TV today:

- Tweety (MSNBC)

- Blitzer (CNN)

The Boston Globe had an article on Kerry's proposal:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/04/06/kerry_says_us_should_leave_iraq_this_year/

Kerry says US should leave Iraq this year
Ties timetable to a stable regime

By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | April 6, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry yesterday called for the United States to remove its troops from Iraq by the end of the year and to start a withdrawal by the middle of May if Iraqis fail to quickly establish a stable government that's acceptable to its major ethnic groups.

''Time to get tough," Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in an interview. ''If you can't get them to do it in the next six weeks, it's because they don't want to do it. And if they don't want to do it, we shouldn't stay in the middle of a civil war."

If a unity government can't be established by May 15, Kerry argues, the vast majority of American forces should leave; even if Iraq meets that deadline, he maintains, US troops should come home by the end of this year. Such a promise would give the new Iraqi leadership greater credibility as it seeks to take control of the country, Kerry said.

He is also calling for an international summit involving the United Nations and the Arab League to facilitate peacekeeping and reconstruction. ''There's been a pathetic absence of major diplomacy by our administration," Kerry said .

In addition of these references, you can find many more information on at least the two following blogs:

Light Up The Darkness http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/

The Democratic Daily http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/
Many other blogs also reported on the editorial, though less compeletly: Digby, kos, rawstory, toughenough, ...


Of course, we should not forget the freepers. While I will not post links here, it will surprise nobody that they are all over this.

The White House disagreed as well, but this is no surprise either.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002312680

White House Rejects Call for Iraq Pullout

By E&P Staff

Published: April 05, 2006 4:30 PM ET

NEW YORK In an Op Ed for The New York Times on Wedsnesday, Sen. John Kerry broke ranks with most of his Democratic colleagues in proposing not one but two “deadlines” for a U.S. exit in Iraq.

A few hours later, the White House, via Press Secretary Scott McClellan, threw cold water all over any pleadings for a pullout. McClellan repeated President Bush's oft-stated assertion that most Americans won’t be satisfied with anything less than a clear cut “victory” in Iraq. Pulling out soon would be "retreating," he said, and "we will not lose our nerve."

...

But McClellan, asked by reporters today about fresh calls for a U.S. withdrawal, said, “I think all Americans want our troops to come home. I think most Americans recognize the importance of succeeding in Iraq, as well. And I think most Americans want to see our troops achieve victory. And that's what's important. It's important that the Iraqi leaders continue to move forward and form a unity government that is based on strong leadership and represents -- that represents all Iraqis.

“And that's -- and we are continuing to keep our focus on the strategy for victory that the President has outlined. The worst thing we could do is withdraw before the mission is complete. And that would be retreating. And that's exactly what the terrorists want us to do. But they cannot shake our will. They cannot -- we will not lose our nerve. The President understands the importance of a free Iraq for laying the foundations of peace for generations to come.”

...

[TayTay]

1. Mass, thank you!

This is wonderful work. It's great to be able to trace out the reaction in one easy thread.

Wow! You rock!

[karynnj]

2. Very nice summary

I love the first line of the Knight Ridder article:

"If Congress ever turns against the war in Iraq, analysts may look back at this week as a turning point."

I really hope it will be come so - if the tide turns swiftly enough it may be the Bush will be pushed to something like this to avoid the Republicans having to run on the status quo.

[beachmom]

3. Absolutely zilch in my local paper

Did anybody watch the news yesterday (in general, I don't watch TV news anymore)? Did anyone say anything?

The thing that makes me mad is that the Democrats' plan, whether it be the Real Security plan or Sen. Kerry's op-ed piece are given no column space in my paper yet an op-ed by some Wash. Post (obviously right winger) writer gets a column bashing the Democrats' plan. That is bias, IMO. You should first have the news article that describes the plan, and only then can there be an op-ed criticizing it. I'm feeling an LTE brewing in me -- one that could bash the paper for running David Brooke's frivolous column while ignoring Kerry's plan.

Edited to add: thanks Mass for the summary!

[beachmom]

7. Here's my LTE

Let me know what you think. I am 2-0 with my LTEs to the paper, so I am hopeful for being published. Hey Fedup -- I just wanted to double check with you that the Pilot has said nothing about the Real Security plan. I've been really good about reading the paper every day for the last couple of weeks. I recall nothing about the Democratic plan.

I was ready to forgive the Virginian Pilot for running the frivolous, downright childish David Brookes column that obsessed over John Kerry’s dietary requirements while on the campaign trail. But now we see a pattern from your paper of ignoring the very serious plans Democrats are putting forward and then running op-eds to bash the plan that was never given an objective fair shake.

Case in point: you have now ignored two Democratic plans: the sweeping Real Security plan from the Party and now John Kerry’s ultimatum to the fledgling Iraqi government. Instead you chose to run Fred Hiat’s column (4/5/06) whose goal was to clearly discredit the Real Security plan which your readers would have known nothing about. Now we see your choosing not to report on or run the New York Times op-ed piece by Senator John Kerry which calls for a May 15th deadline to the Iraqi government to get their act together and form a unity government or our troops will immediately pull out. He also calls for the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq by the end of the year even if the Iraqis do settle their differences. Regardless of whether people agree or disagree with this plan, the people of Hampton Roads deserve to know that the former presidential candidate, who won every Hampton Roads city save Virginia Beach, has had enough with the Iraq War and put out a plan to get us out of there. However, I have no fear that you will be soon running a scathing indictment of Senator Kerry’s plan by one of your favorite right wing columnists, and your readers will continue to believe the lie that the Democrats have no plan and cannot be taken seriously.

[wisteria]

8. This is wonderful. I hope they print it! n/t

[karynnj]

16. Wonderful LTTE

[ProSense]

18. Great letter!

Hope it nudges them to give Iraq withdrawal some coverage.

[fedupinBushcountry]

20. Excellent

You know I only look at the paper when there is news that should be in it. Lately I swear everytime I look there is nada, zilch, about very important issues, and especially if they are brought up by a Democrat, hell forbid any reasonable discussion by John Kerry.

I told my husband the other morning why are we wasting our money on a paper that propagandizes the Bush administration. It use to be a lot better.The only thing it is good for lately is filling up my recycling trash bin.

[beachmom]

22. I'm using it as my main MSM resource

I cancelled the Economist (who I will give credit that they gave me my money back), and now read The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and just subscribed to The American Prospect. TV News I'm pretty much avoiding except the BBC World News sometimes. So that leaves the paper for learning what's going on in MSM World. Plus, I need them for local news. The funny thing is my wingnut neighbor thinks it's too "liberal". I think her head would explode if she had to read the lefty blogs and found out what real liberalism is. I would equate the Pilot with The Washington Post. It is fairly centrist (they did endorse Kerry, recently came out against gas exploration off the coast of Virginia Beach, and they clearly detest Sen. Barfbag -- did you see the "Right or Righter" editorial?) but unfortunately is an unwitting (or maybe they DO know) deliverer of WH and GOP propaganda. I still like reading it every day, and they've been good about printing my LTEs. The way I look at it is that if I read here and at some other Kerry-friendly blogs, then I have the info I need. I'm not surprised they didn't run Kerry's op-ed, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to hold their feet to the fire for missing the story.

Here's hoping I have my facts straight on them not covering the Real Security plan (searching their website doesn't work very well). I'm going to send the LTE out this afternoon.

[Mass]

4. In defense of deadlines and timetables - The Carpetbagger Report

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/7055.html

In defense of deadlines and timetables
Posted 10:29 am | Printer Friendly

Last week, the president sounded rather impatient with the lack of political progress in Iraq. Bush said that he wanted "the Iraqi people to hear" that "pretty soon it's time to shut her down and get governing." He did not, however, set any conditions, establish any deadlines, or explain whether there would be any consequences for additional delay. As I noted last week, Bush sounded a bit like the unarmed policeman who sees a criminal and shouts, "Stop! Or I'll say 'Stop' again!"

Today, in a terrific New York Times op-ed, John Kerry makes the case that Bush would not, or could not, offer.
... (excerpt from Kerry's editorial}

I think this is absolutely right, and I'm delighted to see Kerry offer the plan. This strikes me as a blueprint for what the Dem plan for Iraq should be. It's similar to the Murtha plan — except it calls for redeployment after a unity government is formed.

I've never been altogether clear on why timelines are so awful anyway. As Kerry noted, they keep working in Iraq, so Bush's ideological opposition to deadlines has never made a lot of sense.

In fact, this op-ed is further proof that Kerry "gets it."

...

[wisteria]

5. Nice piece from the Carpetbagger. But, we all have known that Kerry

"gets it" for a long time.

[wisteria]

6. Wow, this referenace post was a lot of work. Thanks for doing this! n/t

[Noisy Democrat]

9. Thanks!!

I've really been trying to follow the responses etc. and this is great.

[MH1]

10. Very helpful - thanks! n/t

[ProSense]

11. Very cool! Add this

cause I love the intro.

Tuesday :: Apr 4, 2006
Kerry Offers A Democratic Ultimatum On Iraq
by Steve Soto

Kerry sticks his neck out on Iraq tonight:

http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/007286.php

[TayTay]

12. Snarky Philly Inquirer column

Excerpt because Inquirer is behind a firewall (I think)

Blog: Polman on Kerry

This is an excerpted and edited portion of Inquirer political analyst Dick Polman's blog. To read more from Polman, go to http://go.philly.com/polman.

In his latest attemptto capture the hearts and minds of Democratic liberals (the same voters who will dominate the 2008 presidential primaries), and to stake out a position on Hillary Clinton's left flank, John Kerry has published his most outspoken antiwar manifesto... .

Writing on the NY Times op-ed page , the senator continues his quest to shed all vestiges of his old flipflop image

by declaring that he wants to set two firm Iraq deadlines, both of which are designed to get all the troops home, pronto... .

Kerry can't hope to influence the Bush administration's war strategy (who can?). What he does hope to influence is the Democratic antiwar constituency. Since Hillary Clinton seems to be staking out firm centrist ground for '08... her likely rivals are working to her left. That's where Kerry is jockeying with folks like Russ Feingold. Feingold has the censure issue, which the left loves, so Kerry is trying to own the antiwar issue... .

Assuming that Kerryis even viable again in '08, assuming that he can refute F. Scott Fitzgerald's contention that there are no second acts in American lives, the question is whether Kerry can win over the liberal skeptics who think he waffled too much in '04. We shall see.

[TayTay]

13. More from the Knight-Ridder (Just had to put this up.)

Kerry’s position already was getting good reviews in liberal blogs, a reception that Kerry seemed to anticipate. Asked if the Democratic Party could rally around his plan, Kerry said: “Some yes and some no, for now. Maybe that will change over the next weeks and months. I think a lot of the grassroots of the party will embrace parts of it at least.”

Ahm, you're very welcome Senator! Our pleasure.

[karynnj]

17. But didn't one of the Boston papers make the same

point in a Kerry article back when he was a prosecutor that, though he was once a hot political property who had the nation's attention - he would never have a moment like that again.

2004 was at least Kerry's second act - 1971 has to qualify as does 2004, so Kerry already violates this rule.

[wisteria]

23. Your right, it is snarky- screw him. He is a political writer and

sees everything as political moves.It is obvious, he has no found feelings for Kerry and politicians in general from the way he comments so cynically on Democratic Presidential politics. His F.Scott Fitzgerald comment, holds no credence since it doesn't apply to Re pubs Way should it apply to Dem's. He might even lean Repub. I will be sending him some of my rath over him not seeing the justification behind Kerry's op-ed.
Again, screw him.

[ProSense]

14. Good headline here

Posted on Thu, Apr. 06, 2006
WAR IN IRAQ
Kerry calls for end to occupation
By Steven Thomma, Tim Funk and James Kuhnhenn
Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - If Congress ever turns against the war in Iraq, analysts may look back at this week as a turning point.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on Wednesday urged setting a May 15 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops unless Iraq forms a unity government, and even if Iraq forms a government, Kerry urged complete American withdrawal by year's end.

His twin-deadline proposal makes the 2004 presidential nominee the most prominent Democrat pushing for early full withdrawal.

At the same time, three Republicans in the House of Representatives endorsed a resolution calling for a robust and lengthy congressional debate on Iraq.

more...

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/14275457.htm

[Island Blue]

15. Thanks for putting all of this together Mass.

This will be a great resource!

[kerrygoddess]

19. Thanks Mass

I pulled a bunch of news articles together, with links to the earlier stuff from the blogs, the radio shows, Hart, Sanders, Cleland, etc. It's all here - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2541

[Mass]

21. Reuters reports on Kerry's speech now, as an aside for Kerry's speech

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nN06344696&imageid=&cap=

Bush steps up pressure for Iraq unity government

...

Sen. John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat defeated by Bush in 2004, urged the White House on Wednesday to give Iraqi leaders until May 15 to form a unity government or else begin an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Such a U.S. ultimatum is unlikely, though Washington has sent a message that its patience is wearing thin.

I guess we are lucky Bush made a speech, or Reuters would have ignored the speech totally.

[Mass]

24. Part of Randi Rhodes's interview.

http://www.wilem.com/rrs/rrs_20060405_001.mp3

[Mass]

25. Kerry's floor speech

http://www.senatedemocrats.net/node/774

John Kerry Speaks on His Iraq Strategy: Two Deadlines and an Exit
Introduces Senate Resolution on Iraq


In a speech on the Senate floor today, John Kerry lays out two important deadlines for Iraq – if Iraqi leaders can't form a unity government by May 15, American troops must leave rather than be stuck in the crossfire of an escalating civil war; if they do form a government, we need to empower the new Iraqi leaders by agreeing on a schedule to withdraw American combat forces by the end of 2006.

The resolution Kerry introduced in the Senate today is attached.

Below are Kerry’s remarks as prepared:


Thirty nine years ago this week, Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech at the Riverside Church in New York about the war in Vietnam. He began with these words: “I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice.” His message was clear: despite the difficulty of opposing the government’s policy during time of war, “We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak.”

I am here today to speak about Iraq. There should be humility enough to go around for a Congress that shares responsibility for this war. I believe that the time has come again when, as Dr. King said, “We must move past indecision to action.”

...

[Mass]

26. More from Today - Hardball transcript - The Allard-Kerry incident and more

First the MSNBC and CNN transcripts

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12193430/ (video on the page, only for IE, unfortunately).

...
that the president authorized him specifically to leak national intelligence information that made the case for the war in Iraq. What do you make of that?

SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRAT, MASSACHUSETTS: Well, if it's true, it proves that the buck doesn't stop anywhere in this administration. It also proves that the president has a funny sense of having an investigation, when he says we're going to get to the bottom of it and I'll fire the person who authorized it, if he indeed authorized it. Kind of tricky.

...
KERRY: That's correct. And he said if he'd catch him, evidently he's been looking for himself for the last two years. This is serious. If the president of the United States is authorizing the leaks of classified material in order to destroy people who oppose his point of view or go after them, then something is really unbelievably wrong with both their standards as well as the lack of accountability in this administration.

And of course about Iraq

MATTHEWS: Senator, you have a plan now, pretty hard, about how we can deal with getting out of Iraq.

KERRY: Right. Well, it's time to get tough. The policy is broken and, when you go down to the Vietnam War memorial, and you take a look at it, you see that almost half the names that are on that wall were added after our leaders knew that the policy wasn't working.

That's immoral, and I believe it's immoral today for us to pursue a policy where our kids are dying, losing their limbs, going to Bethesda, Walter Reed, a lifetime of being impaired, because Iraqi politicians won't compromise, and haven't since the election was held.

Our administration, in my judgment, is just diddling and fiddling around. A quick visit by the secretary of state is not sustained and deep diplomacy. You need to have a conference, bringing together all of the parties in the region, and we must leverage a change here, and we've got to put it to them hard.

Either you get a government by May 15th or we're withdrawing our troops. When you get a government, we're withdrawing our troops at the end of the year, because that's the only way for Iraq to stand up for it's self. Our soldiers have done their job.
...

CNN transcripts

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/06/sitroom.02.html

BLITZER: And joining us now, Senator John Kerry.

Senator, thanks for joining us in THE SITUATION ROOM.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: A pleasure.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about the news of the day, which is this disclosure and the government, the prosecution put forward some documents suggesting that the vice president's former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was authorized actually by the president to leak classified information from a national intelligence estimate on Iraq. What do you make of this development?

KERRY: Well, it's incredible! I mean, it means, first of all, if it's true, it means that there is no accountability in this administration, the buck doesn't stop anywhere. It means you have a president of the United States who stood up in front of Americans and said, gee, we have to find out who did this, we're gonna have an investigation, if I find the person, I'll fire him, and so he's been looking for himself for two years. It's stunning, and ...

...

BLITZER: How serious of an issue is it? There's already one motion to censure the president that Senator Russ Feingold has put forward because of the domestic warrantless wiretaps.

KERRY: Well, this would certainty be item number two on that list, if it is true. As I said -- I don't know all the facts, but I know what the court papers allege to have said, and if the court papers are accurate, then that is something that the Congress would have to take a very hard look at.

...

BLITZER: Is impeachment an option out there?

KERRY: Look, I don't even want to -- that's a road that's all political, all Washington, all process. What Americans want for us right now is to deal with the issues they're concerned about, and number one, they are appropriately concerned about young Americans who are putting their lives on the line in Iraq for a policy that doesn't work.

It is inexcusable that five months or four months plus after an election, they don't have a government, they're sitting around arguing with each other, and every day you've got kids coming back to Bethesda and to Walter Reed Hospital without their arms or limbs, with serious disabilities because of this policy of the president's. His policy is wrong, we need to be tough with the Iraqis, we need to say you've got until May 15th to put a government together, and if you don't put it together, our troops are leaving.

BLITZER: I want to get to Iraq in a moment, but let's just wind up on the censure. Senator Feingold has got this motion out there. Senator Leahy, the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee said the other day, he said this, "Our witnesses today will address whether censure is an appropriate sanction for the violations," the wireless wiretapping. "I am inclined," he said, "to believe that it is."

Are you inclined to believe that the behavior of the president, authorizing the wireless wiretaps, the surveillance, is appropriate for censure?

KERRY: Yes.

BLITZER: So you would support Senator Feingold on that?

KERRY: I am inclined to believe it, and I think the hearings are appropriate, and I would be prepared to vote for it, if there shows the appropriate linkage of what they've done to the requirements of the law. I believe it is, and I believe it is appropriate, but we have to have it properly vetted through the committee and I think it's appropriate to do that. But I think it's more than appropriate to be having this discussion and that debate, and it ought to be deeper than that.

...
BLITZER: Here's what you wrote in the "New York Times" this week. You wrote, "Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15th to put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military."

What if it takes longer to do it? This is a historic, dramatic moment in Iraq. They're trying to force an alliance between Sunni, Shia, and Kurd. It's clearly not an easy matter for them, given some of the historic ethnic tensions.

...



(END VIDEOTAPE)

The resolution itself

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2006_0405d.html

MoveOn endorsement of Kerry's plan

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2006_0405f.html

Kerry's petition

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/deadline/?sc=hp

Allard attacks on Kerry and Kerry's answer on the Senate floor

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Kerry_Allard_spar_on_Senate_floor_0406.html