TOLEDO, Ohio – Sen. John Kerry released the following statement in response to President Bush's remarks to the National Guard Association of the United States, Sept. 14.
Today, we heard more of the same distortions from the President about the situation in Iraq. George W. Bush keeps saying that things are getting better even when we all know that's just not true. The fact is, no matter what he says, all of us can see for ourselves what's happening in Iraq we can see it on the front pages and on the nightly news. But why would we expect George Bush to level with us about Iraq? He never has.
So I'll be straight with you: things are getting worse. More than a thousand Americans have been killed. Instability is rising. Violence is spreading. Extremism is growing. There are now havens for terrorists that weren't there before. And the Pentagon has even admitted that entire regions of Iraq are now controlled by insurgents and terrorists. The situation is serious and we need a president who will set a new direction and be straight with the American people.
The bottom line: it was wrong for America to go it alone. And now every American is paying the price. Almost all the casualties are the sons and daughters of America. And nearly 90 percent of the cost is coming out of your pocket. The price-tag so far: $200 billion and rising every day. That's $200 billion we're not investing in health care and education. That's $200 billion we're not investing to make sure no child is left behind. That's $200 billion we're not investing in new and better jobs. That's $200 billion we're not investing in homeland security, to protect our airports, our subways, our bridges and tunnels.
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