Clark: New American Strategies for Security and Peace

[democratreformed]

Link: http://clark04.com/speeches/008/

Excerpts:
We all recognize that today marks a new beginning for all of us who believe in the ideals and spirit of American democracy. Who seek to reclaim the public dialogue -- away from spiteful epithets and unreasoning anger. Who believe in the power of enlightened reason to find better solutions to pressing problems, and to communicate those solutions with passion, wit and balance so powerful that it will change the political dynamic in America.
SNIP

The losses we suffered on 9/11 - as tragic as they were - have been magnified by the losses we've suffered since.

The loss of allied support.
The loss of moral authority.
The loss of respect, admiration, and esteem - especially in the Islamic world.
Today we are at risk - a risk perhaps every bit as great as the risk we faced the day before 9/1l.

Our armed forces are fully committed as an array of new threats are emerging, with no reserves, either physical or intellectual.
The Secretary of Defense had to leak his own memo to explain that we have no strategy to deal with terrorism - something I've been saying for 2 years.
And, with this Administration, there is no prospect of help from a world that increasingly revels in our failures.
SNIP

The war is a disastrous turn of events. Not only because this President still has not come forward with a strategy for how we're going to succeed on the ground. But also because many governments now believe we tried to deceive them, and this Administration doesn't have the credibility to rebut them and be believed. One of the greatest national security assets we have is our ability to persuade, an ability that rests on trust. America needs a leader the world can trust. We don't have one now.

This lack of trust exacts a great cost - especially when dealing with the other very serious threats we face. We still must dismantle al Qaeda and the world-wide terrorist networks plotting to attack us. We face intractable conflicts in the Middle East and South Asia and ongoing nuclear dangers in Iran and North Korea. And this Administration's reckless actions have depleted us of the national security asset we now need most: The moral authority we have enjoyed for almost all of our history.
SNIP

First, America needs to be guided again by our founding ideal of inclusiveness - the core ingredient of any democracy. We are a nation of immigrants, a missionary for ideas and ideals. We have achieved national greatness because we have systematically broken down barriers that exclude people from an equal role in society.
SNIP

Second, we should be working to strengthen and use international institutions, beginning with the United Nations and NATO. After September 11, we should have immediately gone to the United Nations, developed a legal definition of terrorism - and brought the charges legally against Bin Ladin. The UN was our organization - we helped conceive it, shape its values, and launch it. We're its major contributor. We have to strengthen it and use it.
SNIP

If we had used NATO to launch the war on terrorism, we would have had the military, moral, political, and financial commitment of 19 nations - including Turkey - determined to make a success of the mission, and determined to defend our actions to their people and the world. This was offered to us, and the Bush Administration refused. Now we turn to NATO anyway, buts it's too little and too late - at least for this team
SNIP

We are in a difficult time in our country and the world. A lot has been lost. A lot more has been put at risk. I know many Americans feel bitter disappointment and even anger toward this Administration. But I am not angry. I am determined. And I am encouraged. As I travel back and forth across the country, I see a new American patriotism beginning to flourish. It is a patriotism that goes beyond any President -- that goes beyond party politics. We can use it - we can reestablish credibility for our leaders and for intelligence services. We can build a new system. We need an agency like the Department of International Assistance to help the United Nations cope with the problems of failed states. To help deal with other global problems: problems of AIDS, diseases, ecological catastrophes, and human miseries.

And we can take this nation forward: with a people that have been awakened again to the challenges beyond our borders. And we'll face those with innate optimism of Americans. We're at our best under challenge. We don't buckle. We don't weaken. We don't waver.

Whatever the current Administration might do, we as Americans are not a nation that manipulates facts, ignores debate, and stifles dissent. We are not a nation that retaliates against people who criticize the government. We are not a nation that disdains our allies or starts wars without just cause. That is not who we are. America was born to end all that - and we won't tolerate an administration that doesn't represent us.

This is why I'm running for President - to bring back the core ideals of our democracy - to use them to guide our foreign policy. And that's why I am so hopeful for this new Center for American Progress, and the thoughtful balance it can restore to our national dialogues. These ideals have made us great. They can make us greater. They can make us safer and more prosperous. In the end, they will ensure that America is admired for her moral authority -- not just feared for her military might. In this era, we cannot be safe without both. Thank you.

[bryant69]

1. Thanks for postingthis

This is where Clark can challange the most; he knows his stuff when it comes to national defense.

Bryant
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