Howard Dean: You can't trust Republicans on national security

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http://dnc.org/a/2006/09/did_you_see_thi.php#more

(Governor Dean sent the following email to Democrats across the country today)

Dear Fellow Democrat,

You can't trust Republicans on national security -- and two things proved it yesterday:

1) In a powerful interview that aired yesterday, President Bill Clinton took on the extremist Republican propaganda about 9/11 -- and Fox News tried to cover up the fact that the Bush administration downgraded terrorism as a priority before September 11th and has failed to eliminate Osama bin Laden since the attacks.

2) An explosive report on the still-classified National Intelligence Estimate states that the "invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks" -- and Republicans have been trying to cover it up.

This is what we're fighting against every day -- an administration covering up of the Bush failure of 9/11 and covering up an honest look at the war in Iraq and the war on terror.

You know that Democrats have a real plan for destroying Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, fixing the mess in Iraq, and really securing us at home.

But we've always had those things -- the problem until now has been our willingness to stand up and fight for them in the face of fear mongering, bullying and intimidation from the other side.

That's why we're going on the offense on national security. The future of our party, and of our country, depends on the ability of Democrats to get a strong national security message out in all 50 states this year.

We have a fundamentally different vision for our security than the Party of Bush. We want a new direction in Iraq, more competent security at home, and the restoration of America's moral leadership in the world.

They failed to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, and five years after September 11th he still lives to taunt Americans.

They squandered America's moral authority and global leadership by launching a war of choice in Iraq instead of fighting the war on al Qaeda.

The calls of the 9/11 Commission Report and Hurricane Katrina simply did not awaken Republican leaders to our continuing vulnerabilities at home.

We've had enough, and we're going to run an honest campaign about the security of our country. People are smart and ready for real leadership

Republicans have won two elections since 9/11 by instilling fear in people, and they're trying to do it again this year.

But it's not going to work. The Bush policies have failed. Iraq is sliding into civil war. Iran and North Korea are more dangerous than they were five and a half years ago. And the Taliban resurgence poses new threats in Afghanistan.

As President Clinton said on Fox News that we have a government "that thinks Afghanistan is only one-seventh as important as Iraq."

People have had enough. This administration cannot be trusted with our security.

Democrats are going to reclaim American leadership with a tough, smart plan to transform failed policies in Iraq, the Middle East and around the world.

We will increase the size of Special Forces to destroy Osama Bin Laden and terrorist networks like al Qaeda. We will implement the bipartisan 9/11 Commission proposal to secure America's borders and ports and screen every container. And we will fully man, train, and equip our National Guard and our police, firefighters and other first responders.

When it comes to national security, the Republicans have not led.

We will.

Thank you,

Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
Democratic National Committee

Donate to make it happen and watch President Clinton fight back now:
http://www.democrats.org/playmoreoffense (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYm1TH23e9E)

[MrModerate]

1. He could have stopped at "You can't trust Republicans" n/t

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2. for sure. I heard a report this morning on the fundraising

There is an apparent lag in funds that were expected to come from the entities they set up in 2004. One group, the September Fund, run by Harold Ikes and others, remains and expects to bring a good infusion of cash into the midterms, but others have unexpectedly evaporated.

Now is the time for us to come together and contribute so that the party has the money they need to continue to get our message, and those of our candidates, out to the voters. Please contribute whatever you are able. Let's not let the republican big donors crowd us out.