Democrats' National Security plan leaked to Raw Story

[lavenderdiva]

Democrats' National Security plan leaked to Raw Story

link: http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Democrats_National_Security_plan_leaked_to_0328.html

snip: RAW STORY has obtained a copy of Congressional Democrats' National Security plan, which will be released tomorrow.

snip: 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.

[MadMaddie]

1. So who leaked it? Anyone know?

[lavenderdiva]

3. the Raw Story article doesn't say, other than to say

it was leaked specifically to Raw Story....

[AndyTiedye]

9. We Can Safely Assume That The Regime Knows Every Plan We Make

They may have leaked it just to remind us of that fact.

[Auntie Bush]

10. Do I hear WIRETAPPING!!!!!!!!!

[anotherdrew]

13. well... whoever should be thanked

good marketing move. Let's hope more policy papers get leaked soon too. maybe people will look at them this way if they have a taint of secrecy about them.

let the drums begin, wind-up of the Wurlitzer

[merwin]

2. $10 says that the Republicans will shoot it down and soon come out

with their own plan that looks oddly familiar...

[MadMaddie]

4. Same schtick different day....you are right...they have no

original ideas...they steal everything from the Dems sandbox and the Dems won't fight back....makes me crazy....

[warrens]

7. True, but they have an unfortunate video trail

I don't think anyone except the purple-tonguers is willing to take their word for anything related to defense anymore. Glad to see the Dems getting the word out.

[shanti]

11. most likely

they are feverishly working on that very plan as we speak.

[Nebraska_Liberal]

5. hmmm

independent by 2020 huh, I hope it happens, but im a little skeptical.

[anotherdrew]

14. independent by 2020? - highly likely, good way or bad way is the choice

let's go with the people who actually want to make some plans and get something done - surely that's the democrats, tax breaks and "magical market forces" aren't going to get the infrastructure changed in time, it's going to have to be a massive public project run out of thousands of local offices.

[rucky]

16. They'll have to expand nuke power for it to happen.

I don't know if that is specified in the plan or not, but it's the only way I can see it happening.

[sweetheart]

6. clinking klanging economic nationalism

the party won't cede ports to "foreign interests that put America at risk."


What a load. US corporations can kill 30,000 people in india and not even face
criminal charges, but letting a foreign operator on US soil, they must be a threat!
Reciprocity in free trade, and gosh darn, the US really is not in a position to
play hardball about free trade. I'm a citizen and i could *expl** care less who
runs somebody's corporate supply port, but i'm a damn sight more concerned with
the security of my loved ones in the collapsing economy. When my elected government
protects the elite corporations as state assets, i have to wonder who they think
"the people" are.

[stillcool]

8. your post reminded me of this.....

n 1957, a sensitive American official overseas said that it seemed to him that our nation was on the wrong side of a world revolution. During the past ten years, we have seen emerge a pattern of suppression which has now justified the presence of U.S. military advisors in Venezuela. This need to maintain social stability for our investments accounts for the counterrevolutionary action of American forces in Guatemala. It tells why American helicopters are being used against guerrillas in Cambodia and why American napalm and Green Beret forces have already been active against rebels in Peru.

It is with such activity in mind that the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago he said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin...we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm

[IndianaGreen]

12. This has the stench of another version of preemptive war!

They call for the U.S. to prevent the creation of future terrorists through the "elimination of terrorist breeding grounds."

Oh, yeah? Since it is US foreign policy and imperialism that creates terrorists, the only way to eliminate terrorist breeding grounds would be abandoning any dreams of American hegemony and imperialism, and by using the military to defend American soil, and not to expand the power and influence of American corporations. I doubt very seriously that the Beltway Democrats have any intentions of abandoning their corporate masters.

[bemildred]

18. Yep, gotta keep doing those foreign interventions.

Just need to do it better than the Bushites.

[ellisonz]

15. Umm...

What the hell does ""elimination of terrorist breeding grounds" mean? I didn't know the terrorists were breeding!

[SKKY]

17. Aren't these the same things Kerry mentioned in all 3 debates?

I don't see anything new here.

[Placebo]

19. What a wishy-washy "National Security" plan...

Nothing about Global Warming, which is way more important to our national security than simply acquiring our oil from areas of the world other than the Middle East.

And I don't know what the hell "repairing alliances" to ensure Iraqi self-reliance is going to accomplish. Iraq is lost because it could never be won, we need to pull out now.