Dean stands by his objections to Iraq war

By Jim VandeHei and Dan Balz
The Washington Post

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LOS ANGELES — Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, facing renewed criticism from his Democratic rivals for opposing the war to oust Saddam Hussein, continued his assault on President Bush's Iraq policy yesterday while outlining a multilateral strategy for fighting terrorism and a new doctrine for military force.

Dean used the third major foreign-policy address of his campaign to defend his opposition to the war and to denounce Bush for "leading America in a radical and dangerous direction" and badly damaging U.S. alliances around the world with his policies in Iraq and elsewhere.

"The capture of Saddam has not made America safer," Dean said in a speech to the nonpartisan Pacific Council of International Policy. "The difficulties and tragedies we have faced in Iraq show the administration launched the war in the wrong way, at the wrong time, with inadequate planning, insufficient help and at extraordinary costs so far of $166 billion."

Dean, whose anti-war message has propelled him past his eight Democratic rivals in opinion polls, sought to strengthen his image on foreign affairs by vowing that the "interlocking threats (of) terrorism and weapons of mass destruction will be America's highest priority" in a Dean administration.

Dean described himself as a "multilateralist" who would not hesitate to use force if the United States faced the imminent danger of an attack.

Still, the news of Saddam's capture seemed to overwhelm Dean's speech. His rivals charged that the arrest raised questions about his foreign-policy experience and the appeal of his anti-war message.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., a forceful proponent of the war, said Dean is in a "spider hole of denial," a reference to Saddam's ignominious hideout and Dean's assessment of the capture's impact.

"Saddam Hussein is a homicidal maniac, brutal dictator, supporter of terrorism and enemy of the United States, and there should be no doubt that America and the world are safer with him captured," Lieberman said.

Sen. John Kerry, who like Lieberman supported the congressional resolution authorizing the war, said in a statement, "Today's speech is still more proof that all the advisers in the world can't give Howard Dean the military and foreign policy experience, leadership skills, or diplomatic temperament necessary to lead this country through dangerous times."

Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, who is in the Netherlands to testify at the war-crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, called for rebuilding strained relations with Europe to make the world safer.

"Capturing Saddam Hussein was important; but it was only one step towards those goals for Iraq. Meeting these goals will take years, it will take tens of billions of dollars, and it will take enormous stamina," he said. "And that's why I believe it will take Europe and America coming together again."

In a question period, Dean outlined what he called the "Dean doctrine" for appropriate military action: to defend the country, stop an "imminent" threat and intervene overseas when other nations refuse to halt genocide. It includes the right to unilateral, pre-emptive action.

Dean said voters face a "crucial moment" in history with two distinct approaches to choose from: "They must choose between a go-it-alone approach to every problem and a truly global alliance to defeat terror and peace. They must choose between today's new radical unilateralism and a renewal of respect for" multilateral organizations and efforts.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.

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