Kerry's Promise to Save the Mission The truth of that observation became even more clear during the September 30 debate. Kerry rolled out some criticisms of how the Iraq war was launched and conducted. But he summed up the heart of his position in a one- liner the day after the debate: "Nobody's talking about leaving, nobody's talking about wilting and wavering. We're talking about winning and getting the job done right." From the beginning, Kerry voted to grant Bush war powers against Iraq and supported the invasion. He voted for the fascistic Patriot Act, and he has not yet let any criticism of Abu Ghraib or Guantánamo pass his lips. But now that the war is going badly and deepening questions are felt--including at the very heights of power and within the military high command--he has felt compelled to step out with some criticisms of how the war was launched and waged, and to present himself as the "commander-in-chief" who can lead that war to victory.