Sen. Kerry Hits Romney On Foreign Policy

Sen. John Kerry is one of the warm-up acts for President Obama Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention.

Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, Kerry said he expects the president to lay out his second-term agenda.

"Ask anybody in the world where the United States is today versus where we were under George Bush, it's such an improvement."

Sen. John Kerry

"I expect him to connect the dots between choices he’s made now, where we are now, and how we move forward and where we will go forward,” Kerry said.

The senior senator from Massachusetts also took a few minutes to speak exclusively with WBUR’s Bob Oakes in Charlotte about his own speech to the convention, which will focus on foreign policy.

Last week, Republicans said that America's global stature has eroded under President Obama.

"Ask anybody in the world where the United States is today versus where we were under George Bush, it's such an improvement," Kerry said.

On the troop withdrawal from Iraq, Kerry conceded it was possible that Iraq could plunge back, but said it was the right decision to get out of Iraq.

"It's up to them now," Kerry said. "There's a point where other nations need to stand on their own feet and they need to define their own future."

He added that Mitt Romney was "dead wrong" to suggest it was a mistake to leave Iraq.

"Think the American people would be happy today to be spending billions more in Iraq? Please," Kerry said. "That's what Mitt Romney wants."

Kerry said he believes there will have to be a continuing international effort in Afghanistan, especially from the country's neighbors.

"It will never be won in a military method," he added.

Kerry also hit Romney on foreign policy, saying Romney would not have gone into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden.

"He just has a bunch of people around him who represent the neocons," Kerry said. "And I think we've seen what they do with their bluster and their policies of shoot now, think later."

And as far as rumors that Kerry might be tapped for secretary of state: "It is the purest of speculation. I am just not going to get into speculation over which I have zero, zero input," Kerry said.

Notice there was not a flat out NO there….but Kerry did say earlier that he focused on returning as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee … assuming the Senate stays in the hands of democrats after the elex