We've gone backward in Iraq, and we've gone backward on the war on terror....I will pursue a far more aggressive, proactive statesmanship role to bring countries to our side in an effort in which they have an interest. Ninety percent of the casualties and costs are being borne by Americans. That's inexcusable.....I will get countries involved in ways that the President doesn't have them involved today, and I will get our troops home.

have a goal to be able to bring our troops out of there within my first term, and I hope to be able to bring out some troops within the first year. But what's important here is that I can fight a more effective war on terror. George Bush diverted the focus from Afghanistan. The 9/11 commission makes it clear that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, nothing to do with al-Qaeda. The war was against al-Qaeda and for getting justice for 9/11. George Bush diverted attention from that. And we're spending $200 billion over there [in Iraq] now that could have gone to schools in America, could have gone to after-school programs, could have gone to health care, could have gone to infrastructure.

More on Bush's failure in the Iraq war and the war on terror:

I will fight a more effective war on terror, and over the next weeks the American people will see the phoniness of the Bush efforts. They haven't done port security; they're cutting cops; they haven't taken assault weapons off the streets. Firehouses are opened in Iraq; they're shut in the United States. Port security: 95% of our containers come in, and they are uninspected.

The fact is that these guys talk tough, but they haven't done what is necessary to make America as safe as it can be. There have been more terrorist incidents around the world in the last months than any time in recent history. Whole parts of Iraq are under the control of terrorists, and they never were. Afghanistan is exporting drugs like opium like never before, and whole parts of the country are under the control of the Taliban and terrorists again.

Kerry's regrets? Voting for Scalia and "putting faith" in Bush taking us to war.

On what's at stake in the election:

The choice is very clear. The Supreme Court of the United States is at stake. After-school programs are at stake. Health care is at stake. Social Security is at stake. Jobs are at stake. The character of our country is at stake—whether we're going to have people who traffic in fear instead of real solutions.