Democrats criticise Bush "blunder" on Iraq anniversary

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=afp/us_iraq_combat_politics

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Top Democrats made scathing attacks on President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s handling of the crisis in Iraq (news - web sites), one year after Bush triumphantly declared the end of major combat.

Senator Ted Kennedy said the entire Iraq episode "may well go down as the worst blunder in the entire history of American foreign policy," in comments ahead of the May 1 anniversary of Bush's speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln, at which he hailed the US troops who ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).

"Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam," the Massachusetts senator told the US Senate.

"By going to war in Iraq, President Bush squandered the immense good will of the world community that we had won in the wake of 9/11," said Kennedy, one of the chief backers of Democratic presidential contender Senator John Kerry