War in Iraq is a failure - Kerry

Presidential candidate John Kerry said today the war in Iraq is a failure and that a shake-up is needed to end the Bush administration’s mistakes and incompetence.

His remarks sparked more Republican criticism that the Democrat hopeful is making the war a political issue.

“Why should we reward more of the same? Why should we reward miscalculations of what it would take to make the peace?” Kerry asked in an interview with Associated Press Radio.

“I think that it’s been one miscalculation after another, frankly. And arrogance that has lost America respect and influence in the world.”

Although Kerry has spent the week promoting his health care proposals, he is frequently asked about the war.

Marc Racicot, Bush’s general campaign chairman, accused Kerry of dragging politics into the war on terror and warned that domestic criticism undermines military morale.

“Political attacks come at a price for the military,” Racicot said.

“If there was ever a time to refrain from partisan politics, this is it. But all we see from the Kerry campaign and from John Kerry is political exploitation for political gain.”

Kerry rejected the charge that he had politicised the war.

“They had no plan for winning the peace and now Americans are paying the price,” he said. “A couple of hundred billion dollars a year, and that is disgraceful.”

In another interview, Kerry said he would consider naming prominent Republicans to assist him in fighting terrorism and disagreed that replacing Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would disrupt the war effort.