JohnKerry.com

Dear

I wish I could have talked to so many of you individually as I approached this decision, but I did want to take a moment to share with you, in some personal way, for all of you who over the last years have become friends and family to Teresa and me, what my decision is about the future.

You were with me for so many big moments in my life, you toughed it out through thick and thin, through great times, through tough fights whether as underdog or frontrunner, and through difficult periods when we were all tested -- tested to find out whether we were prepared to keep fighting.

I know I will never be able to thank you enough for all you have done for me and Teresa. We all became part of something that was bigger than any of us as individuals. I remain incredibly proud of what you all did during the 2004 campaign, and what you have accomplished since. Since the campaign, I have watched you continue fighting. I loved those moments on the road over the last two years when I would see a friendly face from the campaign and see first-hand the great work you were doing.

I am going to keep fighting -- fighting in the Senate to end this war, and fighting for Massachusetts which I am privileged to represent in the United States Senate.

Thank you for your heart, and your grit, and your special commitment to progressive causes. I know we will stay in touch as we move forward, each fighting hard for what we believe in, and I look forward to hearing all about what you are doing.

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I wanted to start by just saying thank you -- thank you to each and every one of you who has come together in the johnkerry.com community.

Thanks to you, we have a new Democratic Congress that is fighting to stop the administration's disastrous course in Iraq, thanks to you we can be a Congress that addresses issues like climate change and health care, and thanks to you, change is coming to Washington.

Over the last two years, when you could've walked off the field after getting knocked down in 2004, you didn't walk away, you kept fighting. Together, three million strong, you helped provide $14 million to more than 260 candidates, committees and progressive causes. Nineteen of those candidates received over $100,000 each in donations from our community. Just think of the special support that you helped us provide to veterans running for office -- helping to make Chris Carney, Tim Walz, Joe Sestak, and Patrick Murphy members of Congress today. And because you dug in early when a lot of people said it couldn't be done, you helped a courageous Vietnam veteran Jim Webb on his march to become the 51st Senator and give Democrats our majority in the Senate.

I hope you are as proud of what you've accomplished as I am. But this isn't a time to rest on our accomplishments.

The work isn't over. Today I hope you'll help me with another big mission.

35 years ago, I got into public life to end a war that was wrong. I believe now as strongly as I did then that it is wrong to ask more young Americans to die for anyone's mistakes. And I believe that a Congress that shares responsibility for getting us into this war must bear responsibility for getting us out.

Americans went to the polls and voted for change in Iraq. They sent a strong and clear message to all of us, on both sides of the aisle, that they wanted real change in Iraq. They certainly did not vote for us to sit by while some national leaders actually advocate escalating the war and sending more American troops into the middle of an Iraqi civil war. We must stand for a change in Iraq, or we don't stand for anything at all.

This mission, this responsibility, is something all of us must accept. As someone who voted for the resolution that gave the president the authority to go to war, I feel the weight of a personal responsibility to act.

I sought the presidency to lead us on a different course. There are powerful reasons to want to continue that fight now. But I've concluded this isn't the time for me to mount a presidential campaign. It is the time to put my energy to work as part of the new Democratic majority in the Senate, to do all I can to end this war and strengthen our security and our ability to fight the real war on terror.

The people of Massachusetts have given me an incredible privilege to serve in the Senate, to represent the birthplace of freedom, the cradle of liberty, and a state where in Faneuil Hall patriotic dissenters stood on principle. I want to continue representing Massachusetts, and that's why I am running for reelection so I can use my voice all day every day to end this war and galvanize grassroots action to force Washington and our Democratic Party to live up to its responsibility.

Together, all of us, starting with the three million of you who have built this online community, must remain steadfast in protecting the principles we fought for every day of our campaign. You have a responsibility to urge those who are running this time to step up and address those issues, and particularly on Iraq to find not just a new way forward, but the right way forward.

Above all else, the mission we must all join is to end the war in Iraq.

Our first step toward that goal is to force President Bush to set a deadline to redeploy our troops.

I hope you will come to http://www.setadeadline.com and take the opportunity to speak out on the importance of setting a deadline to redeploy our troops and bring our heroes home. Speak out at http://www.setadeadline.com.

Now that a new Democratic Congressional majority has convened in the U.S. Capitol, a deadline must be set. Working together as Americans, holding leaders accountable, is our best hope to ensure that it is.

Please come to http://www.setadeadline.com and get on board.

Thank you,

John Kerry

My preferred plan would be to set a schedule of graduated withdrawals with tentaive target dates and make it significant enough numbers and with adequate time to get the logistics set. Adjustability for it to take no longer than 18 months at the outside.


I messaged from the new website. I am also hopeful that the veterans in Congress that are incensed at this abuse of the military, more than they are united about changing policy, will become a new band of brothers that will get it right and end this calamity.


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