election do-over?

did someone forget to tell john kerry the election is over. why is he still "campaigning"?


watch c-span coverage here. the below excerpts were found on the kerry web site.


Senator Kerry's Response to President Bush's Speech at the US Naval Academy
Excerpts of remarks as prepared for delivery

"I want to start by saying that our troops in Iraq are serving with bravery and resolve of the highest caliber. These are truly some of the most amazing men and women I've ever met. I respect them and their commitment to our country and our world tremendously. And that's why we owe it to them to have an honest conversation about Iraq.

We have entered a make-or-break six month period in Iraq. Our success depends on eliminating the overwhelming impression among Iraqis that we seek a long-term occupation. This perception not only fuels the insurgency; it's the primary obstacle to Iraqis believing that their government is truly their own -- one that they must step up and fight for themselves.

The president says no war has ever been won on a timetable - and I say to him: No war has ever been won with sound-bites. No war has ever been won by keeping the American people in the dark. No war has ever been won without a clear strategy.

The American people and the Iraqi people want the administration to detail a plan to bring our troops home.

We know leading political figures frosunnyni, Shia and Kurdish Iraqi factions, under the auspices of the Arab League, called for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal.

We know a survey conducted for the British Ministry of Defense found that more than 8 in 10 Iraqis want the U.S. to set a timetable for leaving.

The administration is also hearing it from their own generals and senior defense experts in the Republican Party. General George Casey, our top military commander in Iraq, recently told Congress that our large military presence "feeds the notion of occupation" and "extends the amount of time that it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant." And Richard Nixon's Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, breaking a thirty year silence, wrote, ''Our presence is what feeds the insurgency, and our gradual withdrawal would feed the confidence and the ability of average Iraqis to stand up to the insurgency."

It's time the administration got the message: because our continued presence is not seen as legitimate by many Iraqis over the long term, the insurgency is seen as legitimate in the short term.

It comes down to this: the phased withdrawal of American forces is part of the strategy for success. Only by offering a clear plan that has the Iraqis standing up for Iraq will the administration finally do right by our troops - and finally give Iraqis the confidence to stand up and fight for themselves so we don't have to."