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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

John Kerry for President

    
Plan for Winning the Peace in Post-Saddam Iraq
Saddam's Capture Represents Opportunity to Rebuild Alliances and Iraq

Speaking in Iowa, John Kerry outlined a plan for winning the peace in Post-Saddam Iraq, trying the former Iraqi leader, and building a lasting coalition to support our operations.

Capturing Saddam Represents an Opportunity for the U.S.  Kerry believes that we have recently seen two major diversions from the historical path of American leadership.  On one side is President Bush - who has taken America off onto the road of unilateralism.  On the other side are those in the Democratic Party who threaten to take us on a trail of confusion and retreat. 

Kerry believes that we don't need a President who will walk away from the world or a President who will walk alone. He believes that we need a President who will lead the nations of the world into a new era of security, freedom, and peace.  Kerry believes that capturing Saddam Hussein provides a new opportunity for the United States to build a broader coalition and win the peace in Iraq. Today he unveiled his plan to rally the world's free and democratic countries into that coalition.

John Kerry believes that we must obtain a new Security Council resolution to give the United Nations authority in the rebuilding of Iraq and the development of its new Constitution and government.  He would:
  • Transfer Responsibility to the UN for Governance. Kerry will go to the UN with a proposal to transfer responsibility to the UN for governance and the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq.  The UN would succeed the Coalition Provisional Authority and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General would become the overall international leader in Iraq.  The UN would work with the Iraqis on the substance and process of the Iraqi government and the electoral process to give it legitimacy and to organize the writing of the constitution.  Kerry cautioned that this cannot happen overnight and that the CPA will have a key role in ensuring a smooth turnover. 
  • Build an International Coalition. Kerry will reach out to the European nations to build a coalition in support of operations in Iraq. He will eliminate Bush's discriminatory contracting procedures and offer a genuine partnership of responsibility in return for a genuine partnership of burden sharing - troops and money.

John Kerry will work to expand participation and share responsibility with other countries in the military operations in Iraq. Kerry will also increase the size of the U.S. Army in order to meet the needs of a new century and the new global war on terror.  The Bush Administration is overstretching the American military, and in particular the U.S. Army.  There is a critical shortage of combat troops facing the country.  General Keane, then acting Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, said in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last summer that the Army is undermanned by about 40,000 personnel.  This shortage is placing an unfair burden on soldiers and their families and is undermining our efforts around the world.

  • 40,000 Active-Duty Troops. Kerry is calling to add 40,000 troops to the active-duty Army. The United States should add the equivalent of a current division, about 20,000 combat troops, to the active duty Army.  Under Kerry's plan the United States should also add an additional 20,000 individuals to the active force with specialties in post-conflict skills, such as civil affairs and the military police in order to relieve the excessive burden on our reservists. 
  • Relieve Pressure on Service Members. The buildup, which will require time to implement, will relieve the mismatch between active and reserve capabilities and also allow us to thank returning reservists when they rotate out of Iraq in 3 to 9 months-not just with our gratitude but with a reasonable assurance that they will not have to again deploy to Iraq in the immediate future.
A Reasonable Plan and a Specific Time Table for Transferring Political Power and the Responsibility for Reconstruction to the People of Iraq

As President, John Kerry will immediately lay out a concrete plan for the transfer of power to the Iraqi people. This plan will provide a reasonable timetable for a rapid turnover of power to Iraqi authorities.  Engaging the Iraqi people in rebuilding their country and shaping their new institutions is fundamental to the cause of a stable, peaceful, and independent Iraq that contributes to the world instead of threatening it.

Kerry believes that we can begin to set the tone through the actions we take in trying Saddam Hussein. Having finally captured Saddam Hussein - a critical step forward in our efforts to stabilize and bring peace to Iraq - we now have to decide how to bring him to justice.

  • A Fair, Transparent Process to Hold Saddam Accountable. John Kerry believes that we must ensure that the judicial process is transparent, offers real accountability, and meets international standards of justice.   It is imperative that we balance the Iraqi people's needs with the need for a process that is transparent, meets international standards of justice, and holds Saddam accountable.   It is also imperative that the process is blessed by the international community, not one dictated by the United States and imposed on Iraq. 
  • A Mixed Tribunal. John Kerry believes that a mixed tribunal, in which international judges, prosecutors, and investigators work alongside Iraqis, would meet the needs of the Iraqi people as well as that of the United States and the international community for a process that is valid and fair.
Rebuild Iraqi Security Forces

John Kerry believes that the job of giving Iraqis a sense of security should fall to the new Iraqi security forces and that the United States needs to do a better job of getting this done.  The military battalion in Iraq that the U.S. just trained suffered a massive desertion when 50% of trainees left over pay.  Kerry believes the new Iraqi Security Force needs realistic training, realistic support, equipment, and pay and missions that ensure early success so that the new army has confidence in itself and the citizens have confidence in the Army.
Kerry believes that we should also better support other security forces, like the police, with adequate training and mentoring.

  • Adequate Training. In the United States a policeman has 4-6 months of training and a year on the street with a mentor before being trained.  We may not have that luxury in Iraq, but training must be adequate - not just quick - and support, equipment and pay must also work. 
  • Adequate Backup Support. In the case of the police, they also need backup so they can be reinforced when needed and not picked off one at a time or in their station houses by larger or better equipped forces.  The security for 40-60 thousand police is a major new mission for an already overstretched military.  Police training and mentoring is a great mission for the Italian, Spanish and French national police who are well configured for the job.



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