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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender John Kerry on Monday laid out a plan for postwar Iraq (news - web sites) that would transfer political responsibility to the United Nations (news - web sites) and require the richest Americans to sacrifice their tax cuts to help pay for reconstruction.
The Massachusetts senator, who voted for a congressional resolution supporting the Iraq war, accused President Bush (news - web sites) of having "bungled" the process after the U.S.-led invasion and ouster of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
In a position paper released on Monday, Kerry declared the Bush policy "a looming failure" that could threaten U.S. national security if not corrected.
One of nine Democrats seeking the party's presidential nomination in 2004, Kerry has said he might vote against Bush's request for $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites).
His Iraq plan was drawn up with the help of Rand Beers, a veteran Washington hand and a top counterterrorism adviser in the Bush White House who quit earlier this year over the administration's handling of the war on terrorism and homeland security. Two months later, Beers signed on with the Democrat's campaign to unseat his former boss.
The Kerry blueprint for Iraq envisages a U.N. resolution authorizing a military force under U.S. command and transferring responsibility to the United Nations for the political and humanitarian efforts.
The second part was "the hook" that would get more countries on board financially and militarily, Beers said in a telephone interview. The Bush administration has been reluctant to give up any power in postwar Iraq.
The U.N. resolution would open the door to "greater sharing and a lower U.S. profile," Kerry said. More Americans have died in Iraq since May 1 -- when Bush declared major combat operations over -- than were killed during the invasion.
Kerry stressed the need for "effective" American diplomacy because Bush had "squandered the international good will" that flowed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
He would accelerate transfer of responsibility to Iraqis on an announced timetable without waiting for "perfection, or elections or a constitution," but called the French proposal of a total turnover in one month "too rapid."
"We don't have a specific timeframe, but it would not be as quick as the French want and not as long as the administration is saying," Beers said. "You don't have to have a perfect final form to transfer power."
Kerry said he planned to pay for military costs and reconstruction in Iraq by rolling back Bush's tax cuts for Americans who earn more than $330,000 a year, a notion the president has called "absurd" because it would snuff out a U.S. economic recovery.
Beers said Kerry's intention was to offset the entire $87 billion that Bush has requested for Iraq and Afghanistan and not add to the projected half-a-trillion-dollar federal budget deficit. A Washington Post/ABC News poll published on Sunday found that 60 per cent of Americans disapproved of Bush's request.
The Massachusetts senator, who voted for a congressional resolution supporting the Iraq war, accused President Bush (news - web sites) of having "bungled" the process after the U.S.-led invasion and ouster of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
In a position paper released on Monday, Kerry declared the Bush policy "a looming failure" that could threaten U.S. national security if not corrected.
One of nine Democrats seeking the party's presidential nomination in 2004, Kerry has said he might vote against Bush's request for $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites).
His Iraq plan was drawn up with the help of Rand Beers, a veteran Washington hand and a top counterterrorism adviser in the Bush White House who quit earlier this year over the administration's handling of the war on terrorism and homeland security. Two months later, Beers signed on with the Democrat's campaign to unseat his former boss.
The Kerry blueprint for Iraq envisages a U.N. resolution authorizing a military force under U.S. command and transferring responsibility to the United Nations for the political and humanitarian efforts.
The second part was "the hook" that would get more countries on board financially and militarily, Beers said in a telephone interview. The Bush administration has been reluctant to give up any power in postwar Iraq.
The U.N. resolution would open the door to "greater sharing and a lower U.S. profile," Kerry said. More Americans have died in Iraq since May 1 -- when Bush declared major combat operations over -- than were killed during the invasion.
Kerry stressed the need for "effective" American diplomacy because Bush had "squandered the international good will" that flowed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
He would accelerate transfer of responsibility to Iraqis on an announced timetable without waiting for "perfection, or elections or a constitution," but called the French proposal of a total turnover in one month "too rapid."
"We don't have a specific timeframe, but it would not be as quick as the French want and not as long as the administration is saying," Beers said. "You don't have to have a perfect final form to transfer power."
Kerry said he planned to pay for military costs and reconstruction in Iraq by rolling back Bush's tax cuts for Americans who earn more than $330,000 a year, a notion the president has called "absurd" because it would snuff out a U.S. economic recovery.
Beers said Kerry's intention was to offset the entire $87 billion that Bush has requested for Iraq and Afghanistan and not add to the projected half-a-trillion-dollar federal budget deficit. A Washington Post/ABC News poll published on Sunday found that 60 per cent of Americans disapproved of Bush's request.
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