Kerry: Bush Has Undermined U.S. Leadership

SEATTLE - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) says the United States must be "strong without being stubborn" to defeat the terrorist threat. And he charged that President Bush (news - web sites) has undermined American leadership by turning to force before he exhausted diplomacy in Iraq (news - web sites).

"At stake is a vision of an America truly stronger and truly respected in the world," Kerry said in remarks prepared for delivery Thursday, launching an 11-day focus on national security. "This is not a partisan cause. Patriotism doesn't belong to any one party or president."

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He laid out four principles that would guide his national security policy:


_ new alliances with foreign countries;


_ an updated military to meet terrorist threats;


_ the use of diplomacy, intelligence, economic power and "the appeal of our values and ideas" to keep the country safe;


_ and freedom from dependence on oil from the Middle East.


"These four imperatives are a response to an inescapable reality: War has changed; the enemy is different — and we must think and act anew," Kerry said.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20040527/ap_on_el_pr/kerry

The R's want to say "Bush & Kerry aren't that different on Iraq."