Kerry blames Bush for rushing to Iraq war

"I believe that the Bush administration -- and I say this carefully and thoughtfully ... made America less safe, not more safe, with their blustery arrogant foreign policy," Kerry said at a town hall meeting with military veterans and family members.

"I believe our troops are in greater danger today, exposed to more gunfire and more mortar attacks and more ambushes than they had to be if we had done what common sense dictates ... which is to build alliances and share the responsibilities," Kerry said.

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Kerry made the comments as he touted his proposed new national security strategy, unveiled the day before in Seattle, to forge a coordinated global alliance against terror and end what he has described as Bush's divisive bullying tactics.

He plans two more speeches in the next week to further outline his foreign policy. On Iraq, Kerry and Bush share plenty of common ground, although Kerry vows to set a different tone and reach out more to allies.

"We rushed off to war without an adequate plan, without adequate supplies ... without a plan to win the peace," Kerry said on Friday.

Yet Kerry, who backed the congressional resolution authorizing Bush to use force in Iraq, had no answer when a woman asked: "What do you plan to do to bring our troops home?"

Kerry said he could not predict what the situation would be in Iraq on Jan. 20, 2005, when he would be inaugurated as president if he beats Bush in the November election.

But he said, "I'm going to get our troops home as fast as possible with honor and the job accomplished in the way it needs to be."