from the 2008 Democratic Party platform:
Defeating Al Qaeda and Combating Terrorism
· Win in Afghanistan
· Seek a New Partnership with Pakistan
· Combat Terrorism
· Secure the Homeland
· Pursue Intelligence Reform
Defeating Al Qaeda and Combating Terrorism
The central front in the war on terror is not Iraq, and it never was. We will defeat Al Qaeda in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, where those who actually attacked us on 9-11 reside and are
resurgent.
Win in Afghanistan
Our troops are performing heroically in Afghanistan, but as countless military commanders and
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acknowledge, we lack the resources to finish the job
because of our commitment to Iraq. We will finally make the fight against Al Qaeda and the
Taliban the top priority that it should be.
We will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, and use this commitment
to seek greater contributions–with fewer restrictions–from our NATO allies. We will focus on
building up our special forces and intelligence capacity, training, equipping and advising Afghan
security forces, building Afghan governmental capacity, and promoting the rule of law. We will
bolster our State Department’s Provincial Reconstruction Teams and our other government
agencies helping the Afghan people. We will help Afghans educate their children, including their
girls, provide basic human services to their population, and grow their economy from the bottom
up, with an additional $1 billion in non-military assistance each year–including investments in
alternative livelihoods to poppy-growing for Afghan farmers–just as we crack down on
trafficking and corruption. Afghanistan must not be lost to a future of narco-terrorism–or
become again a haven for terrorists.
Seek a New Partnership with Pakistan
The greatest threat to the security of the Afghan people–and the American people–lies in the
tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists train, plot attacks, and strike into Afghanistan and
move back across the border. We cannot tolerate a sanctuary for Al Qaeda. We need a
stronger and sustained partnership between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and NATO–including
necessary assets like satellites and predator drones–to better secure the border, to take out
terrorist camps, and to crack down on cross-border insurgents. We must help Pakistan develop
its own counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency capacity. We will invest in the long-term
development of the Pashtun border region, so that the extremists’ program of hate is met with
an agenda of hope.
We will ask more of the Pakistani government, rather than offer a blank check to an
undemocratic President. We will significantly increase non-military aid to the Pakistani people
and sustain it for a decade, while ensuring that the military assistance we provide is actually used
to fight extremists. We must move beyond an alliance built on individual leaders, or we will face
mounting opposition in a nuclear-armed nation at the nexus of terror, extremism, and the
instability wrought by autocracy.
Combat Terrorism
Beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan, we must forge a more effective global response to terrorism.
There must be no safe haven for those who plot to kill Americans. We need a comprehensive
strategy to defeat global terrorists–one that draws on the full range of American power,
including but not limited to our military might. We will create a properly resourced Shared
Security Partnership to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation with countries around the world,
including through information sharing as well as funding for training, operations, border security,
anti-corruption programs, technology, and targeting terrorist financing.
We will pursue policies to undermine extremism, recognizing that this contest is also between
two competing ideas and visions of the future. A crucial debate is occurring within Islam. The
vast majority of Muslims believe in a future of peace, tolerance, development, and
democratization. A small minority embrace a rigid and violent intolerance of personal liberty and
the world at large. To empower forces of moderation, America must live up to our values,
respect civil liberties, reject torture, and lead by example. We will make every effort to export
hope and opportunity–access to education, that opens minds to tolerance, not extremism;
secure food and water supplies; and health care, trade, capital, and investment. We will
provide steady support for political reformers, democratic institutions, and civil society that is
necessary to uphold human rights and build respect for the rule of law.
Secure the Homeland
Here at home, we will strengthen our security and protect the critical infrastructure on which the
entire world depends. We will fully fund and implement the recommendations of the bipartisan
9-11 Commission. We will spend homeland security dollars on the basis of risk. This means
investing more resources to defend mass transit, closing the gaps in our aviation security by
screening all cargo on passenger airliners and checking all passengers against a reliable and
comprehensive watch list, and upgrading plant security and port security by ensuring that cargo
is screened for radiation. To ensure that resources are targeted, we will establish a Quadrennial
Review at the Department of Homeland Security to undertake a top to bottom assessment of
the threats we face and our ability to confront them. And we will develop a comprehensive
National Infrastructure Protection Plan that draws on both local know-how and national
priorities. We will ensure direct coordination with state, local, and tribal jurisdictions so that first
responders are always resourced and prepared.
Pursue Intelligence Reform
To succeed, our homeland security and counter-terrorism actions must be linked to an
intelligence community that deals effectively with the threats we face. Today, we rely largely on
the same institutions and practices that were in place before 9-11. Barack Obama will
depoliticize intelligence by appointing a Director of National Intelligence with a fixed term,
create a bipartisan Consultative Group of congressional leaders on national security, and
establish a National Declassification Center to ensure openness. To keep pace with highly
adaptable enemies, we need technologies and practices that enable us to efficiently collect and
share information within and across our intelligence agencies. We must invest still more in human
intelligence and deploy additional trained operatives with specialized knowledge of local cultures
and languages. And we will institutionalize the practice of developing competitive assessments of
critical threats and strengthen our methodologies of analysis.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/apache.3cdn.net/8a738445026d1d5f0f_bcm6b5l7a.pdfIs that explicit enough for you, dude? Please feel free to flail away. It's comical to watch.