Dems Introduce National Security Plan... But Is It A Good Plan?

Democrats Detail Security Policy: Bin Laden, Iraq and Domestic Safety Identified as Midterm Issues

Nancy Pelosi was on The News Hour (Jim Lehrer-PBS) discussing this plan on Friday evening. She made a convincing argument that President Bush has engaged us in a "war of choice," pointing out that the "Gang of Four" and the "Gang of Eight" had expressed concerns that the evidence for pushing forward the invasion of Iraq was not convincing in regard to actual threats to US national security, sovereignty or international terror threats coming out of Iraq when we first invaded and pushed toward Baghdad. She pointed out that our national security has not been the primary impetus for engaging in the use of military force in Iraq.

Now the Democrats have put forward a plan for national security to address the existing problems under the leadership of George W., his gang and the GOP stonewallers. My only problem is that the Democrats seem to be doing so to take advantage of the weaknesses of the GOP rather than a real concern for our best interests. Still, given the performance of the GOP leadership and the White House, I would rather lend my support to the Democrats at this point in time... at least until they prove themselves to be totally incompetent and totally partisan like the Republicans have done under the Bush banner.

Emboldened by President Bush's declining approval ratings, Democrats unveiled a national security platform yesterday for the midterm elections that stresses renewed focus on capturing Osama bin Laden, reducing the U.S. presence in Iraq and stepped up protection at home.

The new strategy, which comes after months of deliberations and several false starts, aims to neutralize the advantage Republicans have held on national security and terrorism issues, that Democrats acknowledge were critical in the GOP's midterm gains in 2002 and in Bush's reelection victory over Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004.

Flanked by former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright and retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark, Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi vowed that Democrats could do a better job of defending the country than the administration has done since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Declaring that the administration's "dangerous incompetence has made America less safe," Reid said, "We are uniting behind a national security agenda that is tough and smart, an agenda that will provide the real security President Bush has promised, but failed to deliver."

Republicans immediately attacked the Democratic plan, with Vice President Cheney arguing that Democrats' "behavior has been totally inconsistent with what they're now promising they're going to do."

Many of the items in the Democratic statement echo themes Kerry advanced in the 2004 presidential campaign, but party strategists believe that they are now in position to capitalize on public disenchantment with the war in Iraq and with declining confidence in Bush as a wartime leader.

Among the proposals in the "Real Security" plan: eliminate bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network, implement in full the recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, and work to make 2006 a year of "significant transition" in Iraq.

On terrorism, the Democrats call for doubling the size of U.S. Special Forces and eliminating terrorist breeding grounds by "combating the economic, social and political conditions that allow extremism to thrive."

While there's nothing really unique here, at least there seems to be a concern to do some of the right things. I really wish they had spoken up before--or even just after--the events of 9-11.