" May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called for increasing the U.S. military by 40,000 troops, probably for a decade, in order ``to match its new missions'' in the war on terror and homeland security. ``I make this simple pledge,'' Kerry, 60, said in remarks prepared for delivery to veterans and military families in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ``If I am president, I will fight for a constant standard of decency and respect for those who serve their country in our armed forces -- on active duty and as veterans.'' The added troops would help ``relieve over-extended'' National Guard and reservists in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kerry spokesman David Wade said. Half of the additional 40,000 troops would be used as military police and for civil affairs, tasks now mainly carried out by reservists; the other 20,000 would be combat troops. The U.S. now has about 138,000 troops in Iraq.

"According to CNN, in a speech yesterday: Kerry outlined four principles that would guide his national security strategy: Building new alliances to fight terrorism; Modernizing the U.S. military to meet new threats; Using all tools in the U.S. arsenal -- military, diplomatic, economic and the power of American values -- in the terror fight; Freeing the United States from "its dangerous dependence on Middle East oil." Oh, now I see why I should vote for Kerry instead of Bush! His policies are so starkly different from Bush's. I see why, too, all the "conservative" pundits are so deathly afraid of Kerry. Just look what massive changes he'd make to U.S. foreign policy! Bush and Kerry are Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber, period. The "dime's worth of difference" is that Bush has to get taxpayers to buy his ketchup, while Kerry gets his wife to do it.