Senator Kerry gave a speech on the floor of the Senate today about the future of U.S. efforts in Iraq, amplifying points made in his New York Times Op Ed
"The Speech the President Should Give" and in
an e-mail sent to supporters this morning. Text of his remarks as prepared is posted at
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=1174 and at
http://www.rawstory.org
Reiterating a point he made during the presidential campaign, Kerry called on President Bush to commit to not installing permanent U.S. bases in Iraq. He laid out additional recommendations, similar to the familiar 4-point plan he pushed for repeatedly during the presidential campaign:
- Make the necessary policy changes to get more help from our allies.
- Get serious about training Iraqi security forces, which will require changes in policy and approach.
- Focus reconstruction efforts on bringing tangible benefits to the Iraqi people.
- Do everything possible to ensure that elections are held on the promised timetable (in December) and that the writing of the Iraqi Constitution is completed.
(more on the flip)
The main points Kerry made are largely summed up in these bullet points in his e-mail:
- The president must announce immediately that the United States will not have a permanent military presence or bases in Iraq.
- The United States must also insist that the Iraqis establish a truly inclusive political process and meet the deadlines for finishing the constitution and holding elections in December.
- We need to put the training of Iraqi troops on a true six month wartime footing and ensure that the Iraqi government has the budget needed to deploy them.
- The administration needs to work not just at security but at reconstruction -- Iraqis need to see the electricity working and the water flowing.
- The administration needs to get Iraq's neighbors off the sidelines -- they can't afford a failed Iraq on their doorstep, and Bush-style unilateralism needs to bend to getting these countries on board.
- And the administration must immediately draw up a detailed plan with clear milestones for the transfer of military and police responsibilities to Iraqis after the December elections. The plan should be shared with Congress.
In his speech, Kerry amplified some of these points, noting that:
- The Iraqi security forces could be strengthened by integrating local militias, which already have acceptance among local people, into a national guard.
- Border security, which has been inadequate up until now, is absolutely critical and would be an ideal way for allies to contribute help, since border patrol is relatively low-risk compared to providing security in urban centers.
- The Administration could also speed up training of Iraqi security forces by changing their policy against allowing allies to conduct training out-of-country.
- There needs to be much greater emphasis on attracting investment in local Iraqi business and less on awarding contracts to Halliburton.
See the complete text of the speech as prepared for delivery at http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=1174 (they say that video may be up at http://www.Dembloggers.com soon as well).
To provide further context for Kerry's remarks, here are some of the recommendations Kerry made during the presidential campaign for handling the Iraq situation (not in Kerry's exact words; this is drawn from http://www.kerryoniraqwar.com Q&A section, Question #7: "What Is Kerry's Plan for Dealing With Iraq?", a summary based primarily on Kerry's 9/20/04 speech plus other campaign materials). Most of them are still applicable to the current situation.
Kerry's Original Recommendations During the Presidential Campaign
1. Make policy changes to get more help from our allies.
- Get the promised international support so our men and women in uniform don't go it alone.
Of the $13 billion pledged to Iraq by other countries, only $1.2 billion has been delivered. President Bush must insist that they make good on that U.N. resolution.
- Give other countries a stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process.
2. Get serious about training Iraqi security forces.
- Recruit thousands of qualified trainers from our allies
- Given the difficulties of training security forces in Iraq, where they are subject to attack, we should press our NATO allies to open training centers for Iraqi security forces in their countries.
- Stop misleading the American people with phony, inflated numbers.
3. Get the reconstruction focused on bringing tangible benefits and hope to the Iraqi people.
- Produce a list of high visibility, quick impact projects that cut through the red tape
- Use more Iraqi contractors and workers, instead of giving sweetheart deals to companies like Halliburton. Put an end to the cronyism that plagues the entire effort.
- Fire the civilians responsible for mismanaging the reconstruction effort.