Democratic presidential contender John Kerry accused President George W. Bush of creating a "crisis of historic proportions" as infighting over Iraq dominated the US election campaign.
Kerry's strongest attack yet on Bush's action in Iraq came one day ahead of the US president's address yesterday to the UN General Assembly, where he was again expected to seek to justify the invasion of March last year to oust Saddam Hussein.
The Massachusetts senator called for a national debate on Iraq and the war on terror.
But while repeating a hope to replace US troops with soldiers from other countries and Iraqi security forces, Kerry added no new proposals on how to handle the crisis where the US military is suffering a mounting toll.
In a speech at New York University, Kerry said Iraq had become a "profound diversion" from the war on terror "and the battle against our greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists."
"Invading Iraq has created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight," said Kerry, who is battling to unseat Bush in the November 2 election.
Kerry conceded that "some progress" has been made in Iraq, "but most Iraqis have lost faith in our ability to deliver meaningful improvements to their lives."
Bush has has acknowledged that miscalculations were made in Iraq, but Kerry said: "That is one of the greatest understatements in recent American history ... His were not the equivalent of accounting errors. They were colossal failures of judgment and judgment is what we look for in a president."
Bush struck back at Kerry, saying the Democrat lacks new ideas for ending deadly chaos in Iraq.
"Forty-three days before the election, my opponent has now suddenly settled on a proposal for what to do next -- and it's exactly what we're currently doing," Bush told supporters at a rally in New Hampshire.
"We're working with the international partners, we're training Iraqi troops, we're reconstructing the [country], we're preparing for elections. We're going to have elections in January," Bush said.
Bush said Kerry "prefers the stability of a dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy. I couldn't disagree more."
"And not so long ago, so did my opponent," he added, quoting Kerry as saying in December that those doubting whether the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein "`don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president.'"
"I could not have said it better," Bush said.
The president leads in opinion polls on his ability to resolve the Iraq crisis and lead the war on terror.
The two rivals agreed to face off in three televised debates to be held Sept. 30, Oct. 8 and Oct. 13.
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
Counting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government. Key figures vying for power include former Nepalese prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, who is bidding for the youth vote, and newly elected Nepali Congress party leader Gagan Thapa. In Kathmandu’s tea shops and city squares, people were glued to their phones, checking results as early trends flashed up — suggesting Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was ahead. Nepalese Election Commission spokesman Prakash Nyupane said the counting was ongoing “in a peaceful manner”
RSS