Kerry Explains Why He Voted Against Rice
(CNSNews.com) - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in an email to supporters Wednesday explained why he voted against the nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice for secretary of state, calling it "an expression of my determination that we hold the Bush administration accountable."Kerry was one of two senators to vote against Rice. The other was Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who questioned Rice's "respect for the truth" during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
"Dr. Rice is a principal architect, implementer, and defender of a series of Administration policies that have not made our country as secure as we should be and have alienated much-needed allies in our common cause of winning the war against terrorism," wrote Kerry in his email.
"Regrettably, I did not see in Dr. Rice's testimony before our committee any acknowledgment of the need to change course or of a new vision for America's role in the world," he added.
"On Iraq, on North Korea, on Iran, to name just a few of the most critical challenges, it seems to be more of the same. I hope I am proven wrong. I hope the course will change. And I hope that the Administration will recognize the strength of a foreign policy that has bipartisan support," he wrote.
Kerry added that he is "prepared to work with Dr. Rice and others in the Administration to try to reach agreement on policies that will truly strengthen our security and restore America's credibility on the world stage. And I am confident colleagues on both sides of the aisle are prepared to do so as well."
Kerry also called on supporters to sign a petition calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Over 700,000 people have called for Rumsfeld's resignation, he said.
"We've got to remain firm in our insistence that those who create policies that don't work have the courage to admit their mistakes and the wisdom to change course," Kerry said.
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