Kerry steps up criticism of Bush handling of Iraq

John Kerry will lay out his ideas on Monday for cleaning up US President George W. Bush's "miscalculations" in Iraq, the Democratic nominee's campaign said.
To combat Republican claims that Kerry has wavered on one of the biggest issues in the White House race, he will present a four-part plan to bring peace to Iraq in a foreign policy speech in New York, his campaign said in a statement.
With rising casualties in Iraq, fears of civil war and questions about whether elections can be held in Iraq in January as scheduled, both sides have accused the other of mistakes and misjudgements in their approach to the US-led war.
Bush has accused Kerry, a long-time US senator from Massachusetts, of wavering and taking conflicting views.
Kerry has stepped up his attacks, accusing Bush of not only making mistakes but of misleading the American people and living in a "fantasy world of spin" about the increasing violence in Iraq which has killed more than 1,000 US troops.
In Kerry's address, he will talk about the costs of the war and his plan to bring peace to the strife-torn country, his campaign said in a statement.
"The president lacks a real plan to secure the peace," the campaign said. "Kerry will lay out the implications of Bush's miscalculations on the ground in Iraq and lay out a four-part plan that must be immediately implemented to avoid failure."
Kerry has argued that Bush's mistakes have both created chaos in Iraq and have left America less safe in the global war on terror.
Kerry's attacks come as members of Bush's own party have joined in the chorus of criticism.
In appearances on news talk shows, Republican senators urged Bush on Sunday to be more open after the disclosure of a classified CIA report that gave a gloomy outlook for Iraq and raised the possibility of civil war.
"The fact is, we're in deep trouble in Iraq ... and I think we're going to have to look at some recalibration of policy," said Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
"We made serious mistakes," said Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican.
Bush was set to address the war issue on Tuesday before the General Assembly of the United Nations, and later in the week he plans to host Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
Bush will attack Kerry for a policy of "defeat and retreat," said campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel.