Kerry pledges major troop reduction in Iraq

By The Washington Post and The Associated Press

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

In interviews on television talk shows, the Democratic presidential nominee said he sees no reason to send more troops to Iraq and that he would seek allied support to draw down U.S. forces there.

"I will have significant, enormous reduction in the level of troops," he said on ABC's "This Week."

Kerry accused President Bush of misleading the country before the war, burning bridges with U.S. allies and having no plan to win the peace. But when questioned about saying Thursday in his acceptance speech, "I know what we have to do in Iraq," he would not tip his hand.

"I've been involved in this for a long time, longer than George Bush," he said. "I've spent 20 years negotiating, working, fighting for different kinds of treaties and different relationships around the world. I know that as president there's huge leverage that will be available to me, enormous cards to play, and I'm not going to play them in public. I'm not going to play them before I'm president."

Reminded that he sounded like Richard Nixon, who campaigned in 1968 by saying he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam, Kerry responded, "I don't care what it sounds like. The fact is that I'm not going to negotiate in public today without the presidency, without the power."

Kerry previously has discussed his desire to reduce U.S. forces in Iraq but consistently has refused to attach any timetable to that goal. But he spoke more extensively about Iraq in the wake of his acceptance speech suggesting he has an exit strategy.

On CBS, Kerry defended himself from Bush's charge that the Democrat would raise taxes. Kerry said most Americans would get a tax cut under his plan.

"This administration has had a problem with truth for some period of time," Kerry said. Pressed on whether he is saying Bush lied, Kerry said he would never use that word.

Kerry also said he disagrees with lawmakers from both parties who are questioning the Sept. 11 commission's recommendation to create a Cabinet-level intelligence chief.

"I believe it belongs there and I'm very comfortable with that decision," Kerry said in the CBS interview.
 
Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, gave interviews to four Sunday news programs on Saturday afternoon between stops on their two-week, coast-to-coast bus and train trip. The candidates were rolling again yesterday, starting the day in Columbus, Ohio, attending church in nearby Springfield, holding a rally in Bowling Green and later participating in a softball game and picnic in Taylor, Mich.

As the long caravan headed north on Interstate 75 through western Ohio yesterday, Kerry and Edwards occasionally slowed the buses to acknowledge groups of supporters lined up along the road. Kerry and Edwards continued to draw sizeable and enthusiastic crowds, with an estimated 8,000 here on a hot afternoon.

Keith Kreager, 56, a veteran and Democrat who voted for Ronald Reagan, said unequivocally he supports Kerry over Bush. "The president is indecisive," Kreager said. "He went after the wrong person. Instead of Osama, he attacked Saddam, when he's been a threat for years and there wasn't anything there."

Meanwhile, a new poll indicated that Kerry had received no bounce from last week's Democratic National Convention in Boston.

The CNN-USA Today-Gallup Poll showed that among likely voters, Bush led Kerry by 50 percent to 46 percent, with independent Ralph Nader at 2 percent. In a pre-convention poll, Kerry led Bush 47 to 46 percent.