Council for a Livable World

Dems Must Own Security Issue, Candidates Say

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Sharp) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Last night at Council for a Livable World's VETPAC reception, I met and spoke at length with two impressive candidates running for Congress: Jill Morgenthaler running in the Illinois 6th, and Jay McGovern running in the Florida 4th.

Morgenthaler is a former Army Colonel who served in Iraq and believes "that it's time to find the responsible way to bring our troops home from Iraq, and turn Iraq over to the Iraqis."

McGovern is a former Navy helicopter pilot who believes that "Orderly and promptly withdrawing from Iraq is a necessary part of our [global war on terror] victory strategy. The Iraqis have to take responsibility for their own governance and find a path toward political reconciliation."

Both of these candidates told me the same thing: It is time for Democrats to step up to the plate and own the national security issue. Democrats have been right on all of the major foreign policy decisions over the past eight years, but the party still cedes the issues of defense, security, and terrorism to the Republicans. Morgenthaler and McGovern, with their military backgrounds, emphasized to me that it is time for Democrats to start forcefully talking about how they have been right on the issues.

In downticket races against Republican incumbents, like the ones being run by these candidates, Democrats with military experience - such as Morganthaler and McGovern - possess the knowledge and experience to take the debate on national security straight to the Republicans.

The Obama Doctrine in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:17:00 +0000

During the Q&A at the Truman event today, Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, asked Richard Danzig and Bill Perry what Obama's national security strategy might look like.

Danzig laid out three principles of the emerging Obama Doctrine:

The U.S. can't do everything by itself
The U.S. must get its allies to assume the burden militarily
International security problems require the U.S. to use non-military assets

Anne Marie-Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, said at the event that this emerging doctrine should be called "Strategic Leadership." Danzig suggested "Sustainable Security" or "Balanced Security."

Danzig also recommended that when talking about Obama's national security credentials this election season, Democrats should emphasize two things.

First, Obama's character and temperament should be offered as evidence of the type of Commander-in-Chief he will be. Obama's even-keeled disposition will allow him to stay calm during times of crisis. This stands in stark contrast to John McCain, who is known to react angrily and quickly when things don't go his way.

Second, Danzig said Democrats should play up Obama's desire to be surrounded by people who disagree with him. This will ensure that Obama does not fall victim to the type of groupthink that facilitated the Bush administration's irrational push for war in Iraq. McCain has demonstrated similar tendencies. He likes to cast around for an idea and, once he finds it, he latches on, digs in, and blocks out dissenting opinions.

Finally, both Danzig and Perry noted that Obama's national security policies have really set the tone of the debate recently. The Bush administration and the Iraqi government both have now endorsed Obama's call for a timeline for withdrawal in Iraq. And McCain has adopted Obama's policy of sending more troops into Afghanistan to help quell resurgent terrorist activity.

Our View from Denver

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:56:00 +0000

We are at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, in Denver right now blogging and getting ready for Council for a Livable World's VETPAC event tonight. We are sharing a skybox with labor unions and other veterans groups that are hosting receptions here this week.

Here's our view from Denver.

Travis:

Ashley:

No baseball right now, unfortunately, but there are some local bands scheduled to play at Coors Field later tonight.

If there is anything Council for a Livable World's members would like to see us write about or cover while we are in Denver, just drop us a comment on the blog or email Travis at tsharp@clw.org.

-- Ashley and Travis

Obama's top four foreign policy priorities

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:22:00 +0000

At the Truman event today, top Obama adviser and former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry said that Barack Obama considers four foreign policy challenges to be his top priorities:

Rebuilding the American military and ground forces
Stopping a New Cold War from developing between the U.S. and Russia
Preventing nuclear terrorism
Dealing with global warming and developing alternative sources of energy, since America's oil dependency has become a legitimate national security threat

Perry said that the Bush-McCain policy of isolating Russia won't work because the U.S. needs to cooperate and communicate with Russia in order to achieve vital national security goals. Like it or not, Perry said, the U.S. must work with Russia to deal with Iran, fight international terrorism, and secure vulnerable fissile material that could be used by terrorists to build nuclear weapons.

This is the exact same point that Council for a Livable World executive director John Isaacs made when he appeared on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer last week to discuss U.S. missile defense in Europe.

To address the threat posed by climate change, Perry said that Obama plans to invest $150 billion in alternative energy. Besides saving the environment, moving towards alternative energy will mean that the U.S. is no longer subject to the whims of oil producing nations like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. These countries all too often use their enormous oil wealth to militarize and threaten their neighbors.

-- Travis

Obama's defense consiglieres talk shop

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:05:00 +0000

This afternoon I attended the Truman National Security Project's panel discussion featuring two of Barack Obama's top foreign policy advisers: Richard Danzig, who served as Secretary of the Navy under President Clinton; and William Perry, former Secretary of Defense under Clinton.

If Obama wins in November, these two guys will be on the shortlist for leadership positions in the White House, Pentagon, and/or State Department. Their remarks should therefore be taken as highly suggestive of what U.S. policy might look like under President Obama.

The discussion was packed with media, members of Congress, and defense experts. I am going to write a few short posts on what I saw and heard from Danzig and Perry.

-- Travis

Hey Joe! It's me, Ashley!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:35:00 +0000

I posted earlier about how I managed to get onto the convention floor last night. When I looked over the railing to check out the people seated below, you'll never guess who was sitting directly underneath me.

Here's a hint from my cell phone camera:

It was Barack Obama's newly-minted running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware!

Besides his mega-watt smile, which my mom just loves, Sen. Biden chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is one of the Democrats' heavy hitters on foreign and national security policy, a talent he demonstrated during a recent trip to assess the situation in war-torn Georgia.

As Council for a Livable World executive director John Issacs told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday, Joe Biden "is someone who won't give the neocons the time of day."

After years of disastrous foreign policymaking by George W. Bush and his circle of neoconservative advisers, it is time for pragmatic and principled leaders like Obama and Biden to take the reins.

Neocons, get comfortable on the bench. You guys are finished.

-- Ashley

The Liberal Lion Roars

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:13:00 +0000

Last night, I was able to snag a pass that got me onto the convention floor. What a night it was! I'm sure those of you who watched it at home will agree that it was a fantastic lineup of speakers.

The tribute to Sen. Ted Kennedy, the Senate's Liberal Lion, was moving. He's done so much in terms of health care, education, national security, equal pay, and social justice. Like Caroline Kennedy said, though Sen. Kennedy represents Massachusetts, if you are a woman and you get equal pay, if you're not discriminated against for your gender, race, etc., then Sen. Kennedy is your senator, too.

I wasn't around for the excitement surrounding former President John F. Kennedy or for Sen. Bobby Kennedy's presidential campaign, but being surrounded by thousands of people waving signs and chanting "Kenn-ah-dee, Kenn-ah-dee," and watching the way he inspired and moved people, I can only imagine that that must be how it felt 40 years ago.

Here's a picture I took on my cell phone camera:

When he pledged that nothing (and he repeated "nothing") could get in the way of him being present in January for the swearing in, I knew his words rung true.

-- Ashley

Anti-war activists stand up and speak out

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Hoffman) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:55:00 +0000

We have been in Denver for 48 hours now. While the action will really only get started tonight when Michelle Obama addresses the convention, anti-Iraq war activists already have come out in droves the past two days to deliver a clear message to Barack Obama and the Democratic Party:

Responsibly get out of Iraq as soon as possible!

Yesterday we visited a park near downtown Denver to check out the work of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). This group set up an installation to poignantly express the loss of human life - both American and Iraqi - as a result of George W. Bush's misguided war.

The empty boots shown in the pictures below represent each American soldier from Colorado who has died in Iraq.

As you can see in the photo below, this brave soldier had a young child.

The empty shoes below symbolize Iraqi civilians who have been killed. There were many more of these normal shoes than combat boots, because hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have died since 2003.

Walking through rows upon rows of empty shoes really made the sign below resonate.

-- Ashley and Travis

T minus 24 hours: Mile High City

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Sharp) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:49:00 +0000

Camera? Check.

Event schedule? Check.

Thousands of our supporters with us online? Check.

Tomorrow, we will leave the beltway swamp and head to the Mile High City - Denver, Colorado - to be part of one of the most exciting weeks in the history of the Democratic Party. And we couldn’t be more excited to share our experiences with you.

In case you were wondering, by "we" I mean me (aka Ashley Hoffman) and Travis Sharp. We work at the Council on outreach and political-related activities, especially online.

We’re headed to Denver to support the work of our affiliated veterans’ pac, the Veterans’ Alliance for Security and Democracy (VETPAC). VETPAC supports veterans who are running as Democrats for Congress.

On Tuesday, VETPAC will host one of the largest events at the convention to honor veterans. Check back here on Wednesday for pictures and posts on how it went.

For those of you that use Twitter, follow us here.

Make sure to check back here for updates! And don’t forget to post comments, ask us questions, or just tell us what you want to know about - even if it is just a Paris Hilton sighting.

-- Ashley and Travis

Microphone check

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Sharp) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:48:00 +0000

There is no snare in my headphones...