Bush, Kerry clash on Iraq

2004-10-01 08:03

Coral Gables - Senator John Kerry charged on Thursday that President George W Bush made "a colossal error in judgement" by invading Iraq, as they clashed in a high-stakes debate that may decide their battle for the White House.

As tens of millions of Americans watched the televised confrontation, Bush countered that Kerry was undermining United States credibility in the war on terrorism with "mixed messages" about whether toppling Saddam Hussein was worth the cost.

"What message does that send our troops? What message does that send to our allies? What message does that send the Iraqis?" the Republican incumbent asked. "The world is better off without Saddam Hussein."

Iraq and national security dominated as the two candidates battled over how to stabilise that war-torn country, where more than 1 000 US soldiers have died amid deadly chaos that shows no sign of ebbing.

'Better job'

Kerry threw the first punch in the political prizefight by confidently declaring "I can do a better job" on Iraq and on averting another terrorist attack like the September 11 2001 strikes.

He also charged Bush unnecessarily diverted resources from the hunt for Osama bin Laden to the war in Iraq, saying: "This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment. And judgment is what we look for in the president."

"The world is better off without Saddam Hussein," said the president, who painted his rival as fickle on crucial national security issues, noting he voted to authorise the Iraq war in 2002 but against war funding in 2003.

"You cannot lead if you send mixed messages," said Bush.

"I've had one position, one consistent position, that Saddam Hussein was a threat. There was a right way to disarm him and a wrong way. And the president chose the wrong way," countered the Massachusetts senator.

Kerry, a four-term senator, has trailed in polls that indicate that undecided voters may be open to a change of president, but have yet to warm to him.

Bush would settle for a draw, but hoped to build on a five-to-eight point edge in national polls and leads in many of the battleground states expected to decide one of the most hard-fought elections in recent US history.

Iraq getting worse

The debate, the first of three, came after the latest Iraqi tragedy. At least 49 people were killed there, dozens of them children, in three nearly simultaneous car bomb attacks on Thursday.

"This president, I don't know if he sees what's really happened on there. But it's getting worse by the day," said Kerry.

Amid signs of slipping US public support for his policy towards Iraq, Bush sounded defensive, and frequently shot annoyed glances at Kerry, who in turn frequently looked down at his notes during the president's answers.

But both agreed that the most serious threat to US national security was the possibility that terrorists like Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network might get their hands on nuclear materials.

- AFP