Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE= 9/8/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= KERRY / IRAQ WEDNESDAY (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-318812

BYLINE=JIM MALONE

DATELINE=CINCINNATI, OHIO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: Kerry Says Bush Made Wrong Choices on Iraq

INTRO: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says President Bush has made a series of wrong choices on Iraq and he vowed to take a new direction if elected in November. VOA's National correspondent Jim Malone is traveling with the Kerry campaign and has a report from Cincinnati, Ohio.

TEXT: Senator Kerry said President Bush made a catastrophic choice by invading Iraq and he outlined what he says are a series of Bush administration miscalculations, from doing a poor job of winning international support to not anticipating the post-war turmoil.

Mr. Kerry also criticized the president for the cost of the war in Iraq, not only in American military casualties, but in the mounting financial cost as well.

/// 1ST KERRY ACT ///

"200-billion (dollars) for Iraq, but they tell us we can't afford health care for our veterans. 200-billion for Iraq, but they tell us we can't afford to keep the 100-thousand new police we put on the streets during the 1990's. Well, we are here today to tell them, they are wrong and it is time to lead American in a new direction."

/// END ACT ///

Senator Kerry spoke at the same location in Cincinnati where President Bush made an important pre-war speech in 2002, justifying action against Iraq.

The Massachusetts Democrat said if elected, he would make major changes in U.S. policy in Iraq including getting allies to share the cost of rebuilding the country and speeding up the training of the Iraqi police and military.

/// 2ND KERRY ACT ///

"We need to behave like we really are a nation at war and we need to get other people to behave that way with us. We need to get more people in greater numbers ready to take over the job of protecting their own country. That is what I will do as commander in chief because that is the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home!"

/// END ACT ///

Iraq and the war on terrorism have dominated the U.S. election campaign this week. In addition to increasingly aggressive exchanges between Mr. Kerry and the president over Iraq, the two campaigns have also had bitter exchanges over the war on terrorism.

/// OPT /// On Tuesday, Vice President Dick Cheney said the wrong vote in November could lead to more terrorist attacks in the United States, an apparent reference to Senator Kerry. Mr. Kerry's vice presidential running mate, Senator John Edwards, responded that, in his words, Mr. Cheney's "scare tactics crossed the line" and that protecting the country from terrorists is not a partisan issue. /// END OPT ///

Senator Kerry will continue to talk about Iraq and the economy on his swing through several key states in the election, including Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. (SIGNED)

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