"IDEAS FOR DEMOCRATS, VI: ATTACK ON DEFENSE, II” 

Steven Jonas, MD, MPH

Last week I presented a series of defense/national security issues/positions intended to show how the Democrats can go over onto the offensive in this political and realm. In the interim it has become clear that doing so will be essential if the Democrats are going to have any chance at all to retake either House of Congress much less both.  Karl Rove has made it clear what he will have the Republicans running on so-called “national security” and “national strength” planks.  (Believe me, indicted or not, cooperating witness [and we won’t find out about that until the Libby trial next year] or not, Rove will running the national Republican campaign at least for this year.).  The Republican posture and posturing will not be on the war per se. Given the disaster that the war is for both Iraq and the US , to do so would be a disaster for them.  No, he will have the Republicans running on the “Democrats are wimps or worse,” the “Democrats are terrorist-sympathizers,” the “Democrats simply cannot be trusted with national security” themes. 

Rove knows better than any other modern political consultant that, as I have said before here and elsewhere, there are two principal elements to the strategy for winning elections.  First is to control the agenda.  Second is “Always attack; never defend.”  In 2000, 2002, and 2004 Rove demonstrated his genius for arranging things his way and the Democrats demonstrated their genius for falling onto his trap every time.  Last week we discussed the DLC’s current strategy, essentially a re-run of theirs in the three previous national elections: “by golly, we’ll argue on your agenda.”  As we saw, they are doing it again.  If they control what the national Democratic Party does, losses in both 2006 and 2008 are all but assured (unless there is Deus Machina, like absolute proof that the Georgites arranged 9/11 or the next Great Depression arrives).  They want to be “muscular,” but being “muscular” in the Roveite way, “‘Staying the course’ equals ‘muscular’ and everything else doesn’t,” plays right into his hands.  They cannot win with that one. 

The truly “muscular” Democratic position would be not “we can do these people one better.”  It would be to set our agenda, which means a) ignoring Rove’s and b) always attacking, never defending (a major part of which is indeed setting the agenda).  Here is summary of the attack points that I made last week, followed by a positive proposal for each.  By the way, some of these will be considered “tough.”  Yes, being tough would be unusual for Democrats, but when Republicans in the Congress make speeches saying the Democrats who do not support Bush’s open-ended Iraq policy are supporters of terrorist, well . . . . 

1.                  9/11 happened on Bush’s watch, despite ample warnings.  Why should the nation trust him on security any longer? 

2.                  They may have caught and killed al-Zarqawi but according to our own military, al-Qaeda is a very small factor in the Iraqi insurgency. 

3.                  If the Georgites did not mis-lead about the reasons for going into Iraq , they were totally incompetent in handling the intelligence information about what the true situation was. 

4.                  They have depleted and weakened our armed services in fighting a war for which it is ill-equipped and not properly trained.   

5.                  They have turned the world against us (see the recent Pew Research international poll). 

6.                  They have created large numbers of new terrorists, not reduced their ranks. 

7.                  They have done virtually nothing to strengthen homeland security in the homeland. 

8.                  They are totally incompetent in handling natural disasters.  They could be even worse in handling man-made ones. 

9.                  They have depleted the national treasury by going to war on borrowed money while making the nation’s rich even richer with their ever-expanding tax cuts. 

10.              They love military solutions to problems that cannot be solved using the military.  

And so, here is a set of positive programs to deal with the listed massive deficiencies*: 

1.                   Create a truly effective national counter-intelligence/counter-terrorism program, like the one proposed by Richard Clarke on the day Bush took office and rejected by Ashcroft the day before 9/11.  It would begin with the reorganization and depoliticization of both the FBI and the CIA. 

2.                   Develop a world-wide program to find al Qaeda where it exists, which is not principally in Iraq , and eliminate it.  This would mean in part going back into Afghanistan , with a truly multi-national force, to truly put the Taliban out of business.  We must begin to reduce the number of terrorists in the world, not increase it as our current Iraq policy is doing. 

3.                   To establish as policy to share as much information about military and intelligence operations with Congress and the American people as possible, not as little as they think they can get away with. 

4.                   I have dealt with the subject of Iraq withdrawal previously in this space and will surely do so again.  Once it is completed, the US military must be completely rebuilt and redesigned, so as to focus on the kinds of missions it is likely to face in the future, not simply on arms packages principally designed to produce huge profits for the military industry. 

5.                   We must re-establish a multi-lateral foreign policy, to develop the allies that we will increasingly be in need of in the future, and we must turn towards the UN, not turn our back on it at our peril as we are doing now. 

6.                   We must develop a homeland security system that focuses first and foremost on the tasks at hand like strengthening port security, not at developing evermore sophisticated systems for spying on Americans and violating the basics premises and provisions of Constitutional Democracy. 

7.                   We must develop an entirely Federal-state-local coordinated and properly funded system for predicting and reacting to natural disasters.

8.                   For as long as we remain in Iraq , our forces must be properly funded.  To do this, we will institute a special “war tax.”  It will be raised by rescinding the Bush tax cuts from 2001 forward, rescinding the tax rebates for the energy industry, and eliminating all Congressional “earmarks” from legislation for the duration of the War.   

If our arguments are to be winning ones, they must be formulated on our agenda, not Rove’s. For starters, one simply does not respond to “cut and run,” unless one wants to say: “The only cutters and runners in this situation are the Republicans.  They cut the intelligence to fit their pre-ordained agenda and ran into a war they just had to have.”  But the primary argument must be that “all the way down the line, the Bush Administration has made our country not safer, but less safe, much less safe.  We Democrats can do better, much better.”

* Please note that I most recently presented a detailed proposal for dealing with the war issue itself on The Political Junkies.net of 15 December, 2005, my Column No. 89 "AN IRAQ EXIT PROPOSAL."      

________________  

Dr. Steven Jonas is a contributing author for The Political Junkies (www.thepoliticaljunkies.net).  He is a Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University (NY) and author/co-author of over twenty books. Dr. Jonas is one of America 's most perceptive Democratic political analysts.

In his book The New Americanism, Dr. Jonas presents his proposal for that “new vision and mission” for the Democratic Party that so many, for so many years, have been urging it to find.  A new vision and mission are obviously needed with increasing urgency as with increasing speed and determination the Georgites drive our nation towards frank theocratic fascism.  Dr. Jonas finds the needed vision and mission in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  "The New Americanism: How the Democratic Party Can Win the Presidency  is available from Amazon.com (go to "Books;" enter the title) and BarnesandNoble.com (same). 

 He is also the author of The 15% Solution: A Political History of American Fascism, 2001-2022.  Under the pseudonym "Jonathan Westminster" this book was originally published in 1996.  It was republished with a New Introduction in 2004.  Under Georgite rule, the “fictional non-fiction” scenario of this work of “future history” is, most unfortunately, becoming all too real, now almost day-by-day.  The 2004 edition is available at www.barnesandnoble.com (search with the book title) and www.xlibris.com (click on “Bookstore,” then “Search” with the title).  Both versions are available at www.amazon.com (go to "Books;" search with the title).

 Dr. Jonas is also a Contributing Editor for the Weblog http://planetarymovement.org/blog/, produced by The Planetary Movement Ltd. UK (http://planetarymovement.org/blog/), TPJ's own Michael Carmichael,  President and Chief Executive Officer, a Contributing Columnist for the Project for the Old American Century, POAC (http://www.oldamericancentury.org/), on which his TPJ columns appear regularly, and a Columnist for the webmagazine BuzzFlash (http://www.buzzflash.com/) on which short(er) articles are published once a week or so. By invitation, Dr. J's TPJ columns are also posted periodically on the weblog Thomas Paine's Corner (http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/).

2006
Jun 22, 2006       "Ideas For Democrats, V: Attack On Defense" 
Jun 15, 2006       "Ideas For Democrats, IV: The Ten Commitments, Re-visited”
Jun 8, 2006         "Ideas For Democrats, III: Dealing The DLC”
Jun 1, 2006         "Ideas For Democrats, II: Why Don't The Democrats?” 

May 25, 2006       "Ideas For Democrats, I: The Vision”
May 18, 2006       "On Conspiracy Theories"
May 11, 2006       "The Significance Of The Tony Snow Job”*
May 3, 2006         "Bush Is Not Hitler, II"

April 25, 2005       "Bush Is Not Hitler, I”
April 20, 2006       "Some Thoughts On The 'Immigration Problem'"
April 13, 2006       “The Georgite State Of The Union Address Revited"
April 6, 2006         "A Firebell In The Night:  The So-Called 'Gay Marriage' Amendment, II"
April 2, 2006         "A Fireball In The Night:                        
                            The So-Called ‘Gay Marriage’ Amendment, I

Feb 22, 2006         “The German Reichstag Fire of 1933 and 9/11: Some Comparisons. A Revisit,
                              Part II” 
Feb 16, 2006         “The German Reichstag Fire Of 1933 And 9/11: Some
                            Comparisons.  A Revisit, Part1" 
Feb 9, 2006           "A Comment On The Democratic Alchemy,’
                             Appearing In The American Prospect”         
Feb 2, 2006           "Vengeance Is Mine, Saith The LORD"

Jan 26, 2006          "George Bush And The Doctrine Of Original Intent"       
Jan 19, 2006          "Let's Hear It For Original Intent (Version 2)"
Jan 12, 2006          "A Quick Visit To Mexico"
Jan 5, 2006            "Why The Patriot Act, Redux: Fascism In The Here And Now, Cont." 

Dec 22, 2005          "Why The Patriot Act, Redux: Fascism In The Here And Now"
Dec 15, 2005          "An Iraq Exit Proposal"
Dec 10, 2005          “Exiting Iraq, The Georgite Way"
Dec 1, 2005            "The Future Of The Democratic Party, VIII:
                              A Politically Viable Progressive Position On The War" 

Nov 25, 2005            “The Future Of The Democratic Party, VII: ‘The Ten Commitments’”
Nov 17, 2005            "The Future Of The Democratic Party, VI: An Organizing Proposal For Progressives” 
Nov 10, 2005            “The Future Of The Democratic Party, V:
                               There Is No Middle Ground"
Nov 3, 2005              “On The (Possible) Indictments.”

Oct 27, 2005            “The Future of the Democratic Party, IV:
                                Bush, Bennett, Miers, and the DLC.” 
Oct 20, 2005            “The Future Of The Democratic Party, III:
                                First Thoughts On Dealing With The DLC.”
Oct 13, 2005            “The Future Of The Democratic Party, II: On The Republicans” 
Oct 6,  2005             “The Future Of The Democratic Party, I”

Sept 29, 2005          "The Bush Flood, And The Georgites: New Orleans, III"
Sept 22, 2005          "On The Great New Orleans Flood Of 2005, II"
Sept 15, 2005          "On The Great New Orleans Bush Flood Of 2005, I"
Sept 8, 2005            "Let's Hear It For Original Intent"
Sept 1, 2005            "An Iraq Solution"

Aug 25,2005             "Some Thoughts On The Atomic Bombing Of Japan"
Aug 18, 2005            "Why God Sent Us George W. Bush" 
Aug 12, 2005            "John Bolton And The Nuclear Option II"
Aug 5, 2005              "The Significance Of The Karl Rove Speech"

July 28, 2005             “Iran Nukes, Revisited"
                                 (Expanded Edition)
July 21, 2005             “Iran Nukes, Revisited"
July 14, 2005             "The Dick Durbin Disaster" A Follow Up
July 7, 2005               "The Dick Durban Disaster"

June 23, 2005            "Why All Of This Repression Abroad?"
June 16, 2005            “Not Very Intelligent Design"
June 8,2005              "Pat Buchanan's "What If, "III?"
June 2, 2005             "Pat Buchanan's 'What If,' II?"

May 26, 2005            "Pat Buchanan's 'What If?'"
May 18, 2005            "The Schiavo Case, V: The Attack On Science" 
May 12, 2005            “Possible Explanations For Bush-Behavior On And Around 9/11"
May 5, 2005              "Bill Frist's Declaration Of War"

April 28, 2005            "The Schiavo Case, IV: The Definitions Of Life And Death"
April 24, 2005            "The Schiavo Case, III: Further Legal Considerations And Their Political Implications"
April 14, 2005            “The Schiavo Case, II: William Bennett And The Beginning Of The End Of The Separation Of Powers"
April 7, 2005              "The Schiavo Case And The Locus Of The 'Police Power'"

March 31, 2005           “John Bolton And The Nuclear Option"
March 22, 2005            Of "Moolahs," Putin and Bush
March 17, 2005            Georgite "Freedom And Democracy"
March 10, 2005            "We Won't Have To Worry Any More"
March  3, 2005             "Iranian Nukes"

February 24, 2005        "Going Nuclear In Iran"
February 16, 2005        “The Georgite Social Security Scam: Bases For Suspicion”
February 10, 2005        “The Georgite Version of ‘Freedom and Democracy’ ”
                                   “The Coming 2nd Civil War (Unless),” No. 6
Feb 3, 2005                  “WMD Discovered --- In Washington”

Jan 27, 2005                 “Comparing George W. Bush And Adolf Hitler”
Jan 18, 2005                 “The Bush Second Inaugural: A Preview” “The Coming 2nd Civil War
                                    (Unless),” No. 5 
Jan 13, 2005                 “The Georgite Concept of Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law”
Jan 6, 2005                   “The ‘Unless’ Of The ‘Coming Second Civil War’ Series; Part II”  

Dec 30, 2004                 “The ‘Unless’ of the ‘Coming Second Civil War’ Series, Part I” 
Dec 23, 2004                 “The Real Meaning Of The ‘Faith-Based Presidency;’ Part II”
Dec 15, 2004                 “The Coming Second Civil War (Unless)” 
Dec 9, 2004                   “The Real Meaning Of The ‘Faith-Based Presidency’ ”      

Oct 28, 2004                 Why The Patriot Act?”
Oct. 21, 2004                “The Cheneys’ Daughter Flap”
Oct 14, 2004                 “George Bush’s America” 
Oct 7, 2004                   “The Debate” 

Sept 30, 2004                “Four 800 Lb. Gorillas In The Campaign Room” 
Sept 23, 2004               "Fixing The Kerry Campaign, 9/15/2004"
Sept 16, 2004               "Lessons From Japan.  Part II: Successful Occupations"
Sept 9, 2004                 "Thoughts On the Third Anniversary of the Tragedy of 9/11/2001"
Sept 2, 2004                 "Lessons From Japan, Part 1"

August 26,2004             “Dealing with the Republican National Convention and Related
                                     Issues”
August 18, 2004            "The Best Of Dr. Jonas"
August 12, 2004             “Some Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, VI”
August 5,2004                “Some Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, V”

July 29, 2004                “Some Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, IV”
July 22, 2004                “Some Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign III”              
July 15, 2004                “Some Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign II”
July 7, 2004                  “Some Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign,I”
July 1, 2004                  “Counsel To The President”
June 24, 2004               “ ’You Know me Al:’ On the German Reichstag Fire of Feb. 27, 1933
                                     and the 9/11/01 Bombing of the World Trade Center, Part II”
June 17, 2004               “ ‘The Ralph Nader Problem’ --- A Re-run plus”
June 10, 2004               “Ronald Reagan’s Legacy”
June 3, 2004                 “’You Know Me Al:’ On The Reichstag Fire Of Feb. 27, 1933 And The
                                      9/11/01 Bombing Of The World Trade Center, Part I”

May 27, 2004                “On Fascism -- And The Georgites”
May 20, 2004                “On John Ashcroft -- And Jefferson Davis”
May 13, 2004                “Karl Rove’s Personal Political Notebook”
May 6, 2004                  “Possible Explanations For Bush Behavior And 9/11” 

April 29, 2004               “On George Bush and Religion, Part 2”
April 22, 2004               “What Condi Rice Might Have Said”
April 8, 2004                 “On George Bush And Religion”
April 1, 2004                 “Some Political Thoughts For Senator Kerry”  

March 25, 2004              “Brief Essays”
March 16, 2004             “You Know Me Al: The Iraq War --- So What Was It About, Anyway?
March 11, 2004             “A Word (Or Two) On Ralph Nader”
March 4, 2004               “A Firebell In The Night” 

February 27, 2004        “On Doctor Dean”

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