Troop planes of Bush given by John Kerry

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says President Bush's plan to redeploy up to 70,000 troops overseas will not help in the war on terror or relieve an overextended U.S. military. Senator Kerry made the comments at the same veterans convention where the president announced the redeployment on Monday. In a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati, Senator Kerry said the president's plan to recall some troops from Europe and Asia is not being done at the right time or in the right way. "And this hastily announced plan raises more doubts about our intentions and our commitments than it provides real answers," he said. "For example, why are we unilaterally withdrawing 12,000 troops from the Korean Peninsula at the very time we are negotiating with North Korea, a country that really has nuclear weapons." Senator Kerry said the troop withdrawals would not strengthen the U.S. hand in the war on terror and would do little to relieve the strain on an overextended military, publishes VOANews. According to the CNN review, on Monday, Bush told the VFW convention that over the next decade, 60,000 to 70,000 uniformed personnel and about 100,000 family members and civilian employees currently living abroad will be brought home. The plan will result in a "more agile and more flexible force" to better fight terrorism, the president said. Troops will be moved to new locations "so they can surge quickly to deal with unexpected threats." He said the plan had been in the works for three years, and U.S. allies and Congress were consulted on it. Kerry told the veterans Bush's plan "sends the wrong signal to withdraw from Europe and the Far East now when we need to cultivate those allies" to help fight the war on terror. "We need closer alliances in every part of the world. I will be a commander in chief who renews our alliances," the four-term senator from Massachusetts said. ABCNEWS informs, that addressing the same crowd two days earlier, the president announced a seven- to 10-year plan to withdraw up to 70,000 U.S. troops from Cold War bases in Europe and Asia. He accused Kerry of sending "the wrong signal" by promising to try to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within six months of taking office. Along with the economy, national security has emerged as a major theme in a campaign shadowed by war and terrorism. The challenger hopes to convince voters he is tough enough to lead the nation against terror. The incumbent, his approval ratings hurt by the war in Iraq, is casting himself as a tested commander in chief who can guide the nation back to peace and prosperity. Both men call the other lacking on defense, with Kerry now taking aim at Bush's troop-shifting plans. "Let's be clear: The president's vaguely stated plan does not strengthen our hand in the war against terror, and in no way relieves the strain on our overextended military personnel," Kerry told the crowd after repeatedly reminding the veterans of his own combat experience in the Vietnam War.

Read earlier stories by RPAVDA.Ru&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/13407_Goldberg.html ' target=_blank> Whoopie Goldberg fired for making anti-Bush comments - PRAVDA.Ru