Edwards Addresses Iraq in Raleigh

September 20, 2004 -- After a short weekend of debate prep and a little church and newsmaking on Sunday, John Edwards spoke to a welcoming, hometown crowd of around 1,000, including the former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt, former Georgia governor Roy Barnes, and Edwards' parents, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

While his running mate delivered a major speech on Iraq in Gotham, Edwards backed him up in Raleigh, adding some new language of his own to the stump. First, he chided Bush for not being able to "admit his mistakes" and he laid out his views on the perceived deceptions by the administration.

"This President is incapable of admitting when he's wrong. He cannot admit it. He can't think of a single mistake he's made in the four years he's been office. I'll be honest with you, I can think of about ten things I've done wrong since I got out of bed this morning....We were told they had a plan.. Not true. We were told that this war would pay for itself. Not true. Two hundred billion dollars and counting. We were told, all of us were told, that we had enough men and women in uniform, enough troops there that we would be successful and be able to secure the country. Not true."

Additionally, Edwards referenced McCain, Luger, and Hagel for challenging the administration on their handling of Iraq.

"It's not just John Kerry, John Edwards, and the people in this room. The leaders of the Republican party, people who are well-respected, people like John McCain, people like Richard Luger, people like Chuck Hagel--great leaders in the United States Senate--have now stepped to the plate and spoke out and said that George Bush and Dick Cheney and this administration are failing. They are failing us, they are failing the American people, and Iraq. The truth is, the only two people in America that wouldn't change what they've done in Iraq are George Bush and Dick Cheney."

During the Q & A, a Veteran for Kerry stood up and bashed Bush on his handling of Iraq and reasoning for war and Edwards added, "we have a responsibility to make sure the American people know that--that there was no relationship between Saddam Hussein and 9/11."