U.S. Democratic Party presidential nomination, 2004

The 2004 U.S. Democratic Party presidential nomination was won by U.S. Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts, who selected John Edwards from North Carolina as his running mate. The nomination process was a series of primaries and caucuses culminating in the Democratic National Convention. By this process, Kerry and Edwards were chosen to represent the Democrats in the 2004 election for President and Vice President of the United States.

Iraq War

After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration argued that the need to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq had now become urgent. The stated premise was that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire nuclear material and had not properly accounted for biological and chemical material it was known to possess, potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in violation of U.N. sanctions. This

Related Topics:
Saddam Hussein - Iraq - Nuclear material - Biological - Chemical - Weapons of mass destruction - U.N. sanctions

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situation escalated to the point that the United States assembled a group of about forty nations, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Poland, which Bush called the "coalition of the willing", to invade Iraq.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - Spain - Italy - Poland - Coalition of the willing

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The coalition invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. Most contenders for the nomination were supportive of the effort. Only Dean and Kucinich firmly questioned the aims and tactics of the administration, setting themselves apart in the eyes of war protesters. However, speaking before an audience in Peterborough, New Hampshire, John Kerry said, "We need a regime change not just in Iraq. We need a regime change here in the United States." http://www.mledger.com/2003/archives/1_news_040303.shtml Republicans criticized Kerry for speaking out against a wartime president.

Related Topics:
March 20 - 2003 - Peterborough, New Hampshire

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/03/national1601EST0726.DTL

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The invasion was swift, with the collapse of the Iraq government and the military of Iraq in about three weeks. The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly secured with limited damage in that time. On May 1, George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gave a speech announcing the end of major combat in the Iraq war. Clearly visible in the background was a banner stating "Mission Accomplished". Bush's landing is criticized by opponents as overly theatrical and expensive. The banner, made by White House personnel (according to a CNN story: http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/) and placed there by the U.S. Navy, was criticized as premature. Nonetheless, Bush's approval rating in the month of May rode at 66%, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/24/politics/main555427.shtml

Related Topics:
Military of Iraq - May 1 - George W. Bush - USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' - Lockheed - S-3 Viking - White House - CNN

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On May 3, 2003, Democrats met at the University of South Carolina in the first formal debate between the nine challengers for the nomination. The candidates disagreed on the war against Iraq, health insurance, and even President Bush's tax cuts, but united in criticizing Bush's handling of the economy.

Related Topics:
May 3 - University of South Carolina - War against Iraq

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