WASHINGTON (CNN) - In a speech delivered only steps away from New York City’s "Ground Zero," Democratic White House hopeful John Edwards declared President Bush's terror policy a "failure" Friday and proposed a new multilateral organization to combat future threats.
"Today, terrorism is worse in Iraq, and it’s worse around the world," Edwards said in a speech at Pace University, four days before the six-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. "So what does all this mean? It means the results are in on George Bush’s so-called 'global war on terror,' and it’s not just a failure. It’s a double-edged failure."
The former North Carolina senator also charged the Bush administration has "rigidly stuck to outdated approaches that are ineffective against the modern terrorist threat," and proposed a new multilateral organization that will seek to "create connections between a wide range of nations on terrorism and intelligence."
Edwards said countries from every continent would be part of the organization and would be "required to commit to tough criteria about the steps they will take to root out extremists, particularly those who cross our borders."
In April, Edwards indicated during a presidential debate that he did not believe there was a “global war on terror” and later declared the term "a bumper sticker, not a plan."
Several GOP presidential candidates slammed the comments and President Bush called Edwards "naïve."
Related video: CNN's Bill Schneider takes a look at the politics of the war on terror
- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney