Tom Hayden wrote in the Huff Post that Kerry's plan was one he saw as doable and we all know he's a staunch antiwar person.
I think the antiwar lawmakers and the Dems mad at Bush's incompetent execution will join together and support the plan for the most part.
However, there are certain names that get the lion's share of attention, and they might not support Kerry's plan because they're positioning themselves as "tough" on national security. They may also jump in on the weekend shows and attack Kerry's plan from the right which can doom it from getting the debate needed in DC.
I think Sen. Clinton and Biden need urging to meet the antiwar position at least halfway here.
Here's link for Hayden's comments.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-hayden/support-for-kerry-speech_b_9632.htmlHere's an overview of Kerry speech from Mercury News.
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In calling for phased withdrawal, Kerry struck a middle ground between anti-war activists who want an immediate pullout and Bush's stay-the-course policy.
"We're seeing the Democrats moving toward that position," veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick said. "Senator Kerry will be joined by others. There's going to be a consensus around phased withdrawal."
Kerry's speech came one day after the U.S. death toll in Iraq reached 2,000, though it had been scheduled for some time.
It also came as polls show public support for Bush at an all-time low and that half of Americans now think the war was a mistake. A slim majority, 55 percent, told a mid-September Gallup poll that it's time to intensify efforts to withdraw from Iraq, while 41 percent said U.S. policy there shouldn't change.
During his presidential campaign last year, Kerry struggled to define his Iraq policy and was haunted by his vote for the war resolution.
On Wednesday, he quit defending that vote.
"Knowing now the full measure of the Bush administration's duplicity and incompetence," he said, "I doubt there are many members of Congress who would give them the authority they abused so badly. I know I would not."
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