| Wednesday, March 29, 2006 |
| The decision: fight them now |
Updated and moved up... Well, we have the answer to the question of whether Democrats will sit on the sidelines and let the Republicans a) hang themselves with policy screwups and b) execute the Karl Rove blood into the water strategy to yet again poison the electorate against the Dems on security matters.
The Dems, Chris Matthews, now have a policy:
WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats promise to "eliminate" Osama bin Laden and ensure a "responsible redeployment of U.S. forces" from Iraq in 2006 in an election-year national security policy statement.
In the position paper to be announced Wednesday, Democrats say they will double the number of special forces and add more spies, which they suggest will increase the chances of finding al-Qaida's elusive leader. They do not set a deadline for when all of the 132,000 American troops now in Iraq should be withdrawn.
"We're uniting behind a national security agenda that is tough and smart and will provide the real security George Bush has promised but failed to deliver," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday.
His counterpart in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said the Democrats are offering a new direction — "one that is strong and smart, which understands the challenges America faces in a post 9/11 world, and one that demonstrates that Democrats are the party of real national security."
The latest in a series of party policy statements for 2006, the Democrats' national security platform comes seven months before voters decide who will control the House and Senate and as Democrats seek to cut into the public perception that the Republicans are stronger on national security.
Bush's job approval ratings are in the mid- to high-30s, and Democrats consistently have about a 10-point lead over Republicans when people are asked who they want to see in control of Congress. ... The policy was very likely crafted based on work done (or in conjunction with) the Center for American Progress, which has quickly become the most valuable think tank on the Democratic side. Of course, the risk is that now Republicans have several months before Election Day to pick this security plan apart, and to ridicule it via their partisans on the blogosphere and in talk radio.
That's the chance Dems are taking. And it's not what everyone was advising them to do (the stand back and let the GOP hang themselves, and each other, strategy has worked brilliantly for Dems so far.)
Well here we go. Off to the races.
RawStory has more detail on the (leaked) Demo plan:
The 10-page brochure, printed both in English and Spanish, outlines the party's strategies with regards to securing the US from terrorist attacks and "restoring" the US position abroad. Broken into five parts, the document outlines the party's strategy for the "21st Century Military," the "War on Terror," "Homeland Security," "Iraq" and "Energy Independence."
Democrats say their first goal if elected to a majority will be the immediate implementation of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. The plan repeats this goal, or objectives relating to it, several times, calling for tighter screening at chemical and nuclear plants and key parts of America's transportation and agricultural infrastructure. Specifically, it alludes to the Dubai ports deal, saying the party won't cede ports to "foreign interests that put America at risk."
In the area of energy independence, Democrats plan on "eliminating reliance" on Middle East oil and exploring alternative energy sources. They say they intend to ensure independence from foreign oil by 2020.
The focal point of Democrats' plan for the military is to guarantee certain levels of pay and ongoing benefits to American soldiers, to secure nuclear materials and to expand US Special Forces. They call for the U.S. to prevent the creation of future terrorists through the "elimination of terrorist breeding grounds."
On Iraq, the party seeks accountability for intelligence failures and intends to "repair" alliances and ensure Iraqi self-reliance. ... and they'll have the full document up later today.
The plan is apparently titled: "Real Security: The Democratic Plan to Protect America and Restore Our Leadership in the World." In order to rebut it, Republicans will have to serve up credible arguments on how they've done either of the two tolerably well over the last five years.
...and Pal at Wizbang may need a rewrite...
Tags: News and politics, Democrats, Republicans, Politics, Iraq, Bush, National Security |
posted by JReid @ 12:10 AM   |
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