Edwards' New Strategy Against Terrorism

"We've got to throw away the failed George Bush policies of the past, and move in a bold new direction..."

"Some politicians, like Rudolph Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and John McCain have responded to the shortcomings and backfires of the Administration's approach by essentially doubling-down. They have closed their eyes to the facts and asked us to accept, on faith, more of the Bush approach. Some running for the Democratic nomination have even argued that the Bush-Cheney approach has made us safer. It has not."

- John Edwards today at Pace University
LINK TO SPEECH

The following are highlight from a speech given by presidential candidate John Edwards at Pace University in New York City (of which blogger Matthew Yglesias called "brilliant"):

...instead of leading a truly visionary campaign against global terrorism, our president led America down a garden path.


...President Bush, like the Republicans following him today and even some Democrats, was stuck in the past, and he still is.


...George Bush literally gave us his father's war—but without his father's allies or his father's sense of decency.

...Tragically for America and the world, George Bush's "war on terror" approach walked directly into the trap the terrorists set for us. Islamic extremists wanted to frame the conflict with the U.S. as a war of civilizations, and the Bush Administration, stuck in a Cold War mentality, happily complied.

...We need a counterterrorism policy that will actually counter terrorism.

...George Bush has used 20th century tools to attack 21st century problems. The Bush approach has failed not only because of the shameless political manipulations and reckless decisions of the president and his aides. It has failed because the president is using an antiquated set of weapons against a modern target, and he's misfiring.

...As president, I will launch a comprehensive new counterterrorism policy that will be defined by two principles—strength and cooperation.

...The centerpiece of this policy will be a new multilateral organization called the Counterterrorism and Intelligence Treaty Organization (CITO).

...Organizations are only as strong as the people who help make them run, and so we must also improve the quality of our human intelligence—agents better able to understand local culture and make local connections in countries with active terrorist cells. As president, I will lead efforts to improve human intelligence through 1,000 new annual scholarships to improve language skills for students who pursue careers in intelligence and diplomacy.

...Diplomacy is key to progress against nuclear weapons.

...As president, I will create a Global Nuclear Compact to strengthen the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would support peaceful nuclear programs, improve security for existing stocks of nuclear materials, and ensure more frequent verification that materials are not being diverted and facilities are not being misused. And I will lead an international effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

...We must encourage American Muslim participation in public life. I will put new resources toward engaging American Muslims, empowering local mosques to counter extremist ideas, and working hand-in-hand with Muslim communities to identify and isolate threats.

...we must achieve energy independence. If we reduce our reliance on oil from instable parts of the world, Middle Eastern regimes will finally diversify their economies and modernize their societies.

...we also should have a broader, deeper goal—to prevent terrorism from taking root in the first place.


...[If] they see us as the light, the country they want to be like, the country that's creating hope and opportunity, it will pull them to us like a magnet. We have to be that light again. We need to do everything we can to prevent this generation of potential friends from becoming a generation of enemies.

... during my first year in office, I will establish a "Marshall Corps," patterned after the military reserves, that will include at least 10,000 civilian experts. Its members will be deployed abroad to serve on reconstruction, stabilization, and humanitarian missions.


ON IRAQ

...George Bush's failed management of the war in Iraq has made the problem of terrorism worse. The war provided Al Qaeda with a powerful tool for recruiting terrorists. It gave them a battlefield for training. It gave them an attractive target, in American troops. And it diverted the resources of the U.S. military, weakening our force structure in the process. Even though the presence of U.S. troops has served as an attractive target for terrorists, our eventual withdrawal will not remove the threat. As president, I will redeploy troops into Quick Reaction Forces outside of Iraq, to perform targeted missions against Al Qaeda cells and to prevent a genocide or regional spillover of a civil war.


ON AFGHANISTAN


...We can neglect the crisis in Afghanistan no longer. The Taliban is re-taking territory in southern Afghanistan and kidnapping foreigners. As president, I will work with the other members of NATO to ensure that our forces and rules of engagement are robust enough to defeat the Taliban and protect the democratic government in Afghanistan. As part of this effort, I will commit additional American Special Forces to root out and shut down Taliban cells.

ON PAKISTAN'S COOPERATION

In Pakistan, the recent National Intelligence Estimate found that Al Qaeda has established a safe haven in the northwest tribal areas. We have given the Musharraf government billions of dollars of aid in the last several years, yet they have done far too little to get control over these areas. As president, I will condition future American aid on progress by Pakistan, including strengthening the reach of police forces and working more effectively with tribal leaders and their members to ensure their acceptance of the government. But I want to be clear about one thing: if we have actionable intelligence about imminent terrorist activity and the Pakistan government refuses to act, we will.

ON SAUDI ARABIA

...Saudi Arabia is a country we have given too much in return for too little. We must require the Saudis to do more to stop the flow of terrorists to Iraq. As president, I will condition future arms packages on Saudi Arabia's actions against terrorists.

Krugman To Dems: Make Up Your Minds!

Paul Krugman breaks down the Iraq War issue regarding General Petraeus and the White House-written report he'll soon deliver:

Mr. Krugman is making these points:

No independent assessment has concluded that violence in Iraq is down.

General Petraeus has a history of making wildly overoptimistic assessments of progress in Iraq that happen to be convenient for his political masters.

Any plan that depends on the White House recognizing reality is an idle fantasy.

The lesson of the past six years is that Republicans will accuse Democrats of being unpatriotic no matter what the Democrats do.

The public hates this war and wants to see it ended. Voters are exasperated with the Democrats, not because they think Congressional leaders are too liberal, but because they don’t see Congress doing anything to stop the war.

..and Americans Against Escalation in Iraq are pressing selected leaders in a new ad campaign:

Gold Star Mom Angry Over Freedom's Watch Ad

The Gold Star mother of Travis Youngblood is angry that his memory has been used by certain prominent Republicans in the ad I've posted above in order to perpetuate the Iraq war.

I am Travis Youngblood's mother, and I was not contacted in any way shape or form regarding this video. So don't think that just because his widow decides to use his image that it has been endorsed by his entire family. I would never in a million years have consented to this.

and...

The fact that this video was even made, says a lot about the organization behind it. That they would use a grieving widow to further their political agenda is propaganda of the worst kind. There is nothing further to be gained by keeping our troops in Iraq. They should be withdrawn as quickly as possible. I would not want any more mothers, widows, fathers, brothers, sisters to experience the pains that we have been through.This is the way I see it. This is the bottom line for me.

and.....

Whenever I talked to Travis on the phone, or received an email from him, he always said, don't watch CNN. They don't tell you the truth. I refuse to dismiss the good things our troops have done in Iraq. And to say they haven't is a lie. But the time has come for them to come home. It is not defeat. It is just the simple fact that there is nothing more they can do.

and..

Thank you JMlawyer. At least there is at least one person here who can look beyond there own agenda and see the man featured here. Travis was a loving father, husband, friend, son, and was awaiting the birth of his daughter when he was taken from us. Laura has been through a lot, and her love for Travis is all consuming. I respect her right to free speech, and I respect our servicemen and women. Travis keeps good company in Arlington. But let no more die in this godforsaken place. Please.

(See Debbi4873's comments under the video ad on YouTube.)

Pretty powerful words.

Travis' mother has her own tribute video up at YouTube for her Travis.






Note: I've saved these comments (print screen) in case they mysteriously disappear.

Russian Minister Warns U.S. About Kosovo Red Lines

The most serious problem facing the international community in Europe today is the final status of Kosovo. As things stand, Serbia will neither accept Kosovo’s eventual independence nor its partition. The European Union is hesitant and divided with regards to Kosovo independence. Russia is not expected to recognize Kosovo’s independence unless Serbia does first, and that is a most unlikely prospect.

Kosovo-Albanian leaders have said they would declare independence even without U.N. agreement after Dec. 10, 2007 and seek recognition from the United States and European Union. [source: Reuters]

See former Commander of KFOR Gen. Klaus Reinhardt's statement about the international situation.

Calling Kosovo a 'red line that must not be crossed', Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made it pretty clear that his nation will not cooperate with the U.S. on Kosovo independence.Lavrov also made overtures toward a new closeness to the West.

In my opinion, if Russia is truly interested in closer ties with the West, they could start showing they mean it by stopping the practice of spying on and killing off their own nation's investigative journalists. If fewer of their women were beaten and raped, it would also be a good start.

Iraq: Is British Withdrawal Imminent?

We see the British government decidedly moving away from U.S. foreign policy on Iraq in an article reporting that British General Sir Mike Jackson, now retired as former chief of the general staff is criticizing former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as "intellectually bankrupt". Jackson's belief is that all of the U.S. State Department efforts had been undermined and wasted by the Bush administration's heavy focus on military power.

Since Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as British prime minister in June, there has been increasing criticism in the U.S. press of British forces' role in southern Iraq and speculation has increased that Brown could speed up the withdrawal of British forces. source: Reuters

The Yorkshire Ranter has noted that the clock is ticking ever faster on British withdrawal from Iraq.

Among the British experts, the arguments to stay or go sound oddly familiar:

Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert at the University of London and IISS who recently visited Basra and Baghdad, is a strong critic of British policy. "Britain signed up for war with too few troops and too inactive a policy in the south," he said. "We have never managed to 'clear and hold' in Basra. The approach has been to muddle through and let the situation find its own level, which has resulted in anarchy, violence and criminality. Over the past four years this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy by the British top brass, who are responsible for much of it."

Dr Dodge does not believe that Britain would be justified in withdrawing. "There is a lot of criminality and inter-faction violence in the British zone, but you could argue that it would get worse if British forces left," he said. "In my view we can't cut and run from a problem we have created."

But in his outburst last autumn the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, came close to implying that further British sacrifices in Iraq were pointless. He said the British presence was "exacerbating" the security situation and that the troops should leave "soon". Commanders argue that the majority of attacks in Basra are on British forces – between 85 and 90 per cent, they estimate – and point out that when Iraqi forces have taken over other British bases in Basra city, such as the Shatt al-Arab hotel, violence has fallen. "We are a major part of the problem," said one officer. "Without us the murder rate would be lower than in Washington DC."

3rd Anniversary of Beslan Tragedy

September marks the third anniversary of the Beslan school tragedy in Russia where, unbelievably, 333 innocent people, half of them schoolchildren, were sacrificed for someone's political agenda.



A letter to President Putin from the Beslan Mothers Committee reads, in part:

"The most important truth is that our children were sacrificed for someone's bureaucratic interests. We know this truth. The whole Russian people should know this too.

Beslan is not just a great tragedy for Russia, it is also a shameful episode for the Russian authorities.

It is your moral duty, as the president of Russia, to come to Beslan in your last year in office, to go to the children's cemetery, to see at first hand the scale of the tragedy and to tell the truth to all of Russia."

source: Reuters

Let's not forget the Russian journalists whose efforts at reporting the truth were stymied in the most awful ways. Read The Murder of Anna Politkovskaya.

This weekend, say a prayer for the innocent lives lost at Beslan and commit yoursleves to defending every journalist who sets out to report the truth at great risk to themselves.