WILKES-BARRE, Pa., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush slammed Sen. John Kerry over Iraq and the war on terrorism Wednesday and accused him of professing a policy of retreat.
"Iraq is no diversion, it is the place where civilization is taking a decisive stand against chaos and terror, and we must not waiver," Bush said during a campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. "On Iraq, Sen. Kerry has a strategy of retreat and I have a strategy of victory."
Bush's barb came on the heels of the debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards during which Cheney and Edwards sparred continually over the Iraq conflict.
Edwards accused Cheney and Bush of not telling the truth about the war in Iraq, which Kerry has called a colossal error of judgment and a diversion from the war on terror.
"I understand some Americans have strong concerns about our role in Iraq," Bush said Wednesday. "I respect the fact that they take this issue seriously because it is a serious matter. I assure them we're in Iraq because I deeply believe it is necessary and right and critical to the outcome of the war on terror."
