WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) issued the following statement today, in response to a letter from the Pentagon that criticized Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D- NY) for asking whether the military had planned for an eventual redeployment of troops out of Iraq.

“This Administration reminds us every day that they will say anything, do anything, and twist any truth to avoid accountability. Their latest assault on Sen. Clinton comes from a tired partisan playbook and it’s a disgrace,” Senator Kerry said.  “They ought to be planning to save lives – not plotting to save face. One of the great tragedies of the war in Iraq has been a total lack of planning by the Administration. Failure to plan for protecting troops with the right equipment, failure to plan for treating specialized injuries and failure to anticipate the bloody civil war.  I think it is entirely appropriate for the Pentagon to show how it is planning for the eventual redeployment of troops out of Iraq. We have a right and responsibility to know that our troops will return home in an orderly and safe manner and every reason to be skeptical given the reckless way our troops were put in harm’s way. Senator Clinton was right to ask the Pentagon for answers and the Administration’s smear tactics in response are wrong but not surprising.”

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