Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) argued that a war against Iraq is ‘the wrong war at the wrong time,’ in a public address at Harvard University on Friday.

Addressing current economic, education, Medicare and affirmative action issues at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Kennedy clarified his strong anti-war sentiments regarding a pending war with Iraq.

Kennedy claimed President Bush has not presented enough evidence to justify a military attack against Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq.

‘The discovery of empty chemical warheads is not a sign that we need to go to war. It is an indication that inspections work,’ he said. ‘President Bush cannot expect the international community to salute America and march with us in a war against Iraq where the administration has made no convincing case for war.

‘If this were a court of law, the administration’s case for war would be laughed out of the courtroom.’

Kennedy asserted that the ongoing war on terrorism and an unfolding nuclear arms conflict with North Korea should take precedence over the Middle East conflict.

‘The threat from Iraq is not immediate and [if followed up with military action] will distract America from the two more immediate threats to our security: the clear and present danger of terrorism and the crisis with North Korea,’ Kennedy said. ‘Above all, we cannot afford to lose momentum in the ongoing war on terrorism. Plainly we remain unacceptably vulnerable at home.’

Kennedy also said Bush’s aggressive stance against Iraq has soured international relations with allies, suggesting America allow other nations to have a say in the world’s political direction.

‘In recent months, we have squandered too much of the goodwill of the world community because we continue to [support attacking Iraq],’ he said. ‘Surely we can have effective relationships with other nations without adopting a ‘my way or the high way’ foreign policy.’

While the Iraq conflict took the forefront of Kennedy’s address, he quickly transitioned into concerns of domestic education. Kennedy named the country’s economic crisis, trends in teacher retirement and the rising cost of a college education as immediate concerns.

‘Today education is America’s common problem. School and college enrollments are surging, the shortage of trained teachers is worsening and 40 percent of our teachers in Massachusetts will retire in the next decade,’ he said. ‘Double-digit tuition increases [among Massachusetts public colleges] are making it even harder to make realize the hope of a college education [for some].’

Kennedy accused Bush of contributing to the education crisis, claiming he has not kept his promises, cutting educational funding while giving tax breaks to wealthy Americans.

‘The administration is abandoning the president’s unequivocal promise of full funding for the school reforms required by the ‘No Child Left Behind Act.’ A pledge sheet made with great fanfare at the Boston Latin School just a year ago,’ he said. ‘But when the lights go out and the cameras leave, the money isn’t there. Needed resources for education are denied and the new tax breaks for the wealthy are proposed.’

Kennedy urged for more investment in education and greater accountability for students’ results.

‘Education is the cornerstone of a strong economy and the fast way to success and fulfillment for our children,’ he said.

The senator followed his stance on education with his views on government medical programs.

‘Over a half a million people in Massachusetts are [medically] uninsured,’ he said. ‘We need to guarantee that [everyone] in America should not only receive a decent wage but the basic social decency of health care at a price they can afford.’

Kennedy wrapped up his speech by taking a pro-affirmative action stance in response to Bush’s proposal to abolish the mandate used to create diversity on college campuses and in workplaces nationwide. Kennedy called on the government to uphold affirmative action to ‘uphold a diverse society.’

Kennedy spoke well in his address, according to Harvard politics student Molly Moore.

‘I think it’s important to hear what a really strong Democrat is going to say,’ she said. ‘The only thing you hear is people who are nurturing the Republicans. He’s not running for president, he’s not trying to make friends, he’s just saying what he thinks and that’s wonderful.’