Good morning. This is retired General Wes Clark.
If you think about it, there's probably never been a time in American history when ordinary Americans are so affected by what is happening overseas. Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose; in Iraq we have almost 2400 American dead; 16,000 wounded, with over $200 billion already spent with no end in sight. At home we're challenged by the rising price of gasoline, job loss to outsourcing, illegal immigration, and the impact of global warming.
From our own ports and borders, and the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq up through the White House, our government's priorities, policies, and basic competence have never been more important in our daily lives.
Now, I spent thirty-eight years in uniform - fought in Vietnam, came home on a stretcher, helped negotiate a peace to end the war in Bosnia, as NATO Commander in Europe, helped win a war to halt ethnic cleansing. I am speaking today because our nation is in danger from the Administration's mistaken policies and priorities.
This Administration has taken us on a path to nowhere - replete with hyped intelligence, macho slogans, and an incredible failure to see the obvious. It started with a fight we didn't finish against Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, and included a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq. Along the way we've failed to halt proliferation with both North Korea and Iran and the Administration has shown tragic incompetence in everything from nation building in Iraq to disaster relief in Louisiana.
Let's face it: we're not going to win the war on terror unless we start making more friends and fewer enemies in the world, and we're not going to be able to protect the American people without a new strategy.
How do we get there?
This week I stood with united Democrats from the House and the Senate, and with our nation's first responders and veterans, to unveil a national security agenda that will give Americans the real security they expect and deserve. After all, security is the first promise of any government, and Democrats mean to help deliver it. The plan is smart and tough: strong troops, great equipment, and the kind of smart policies the men and women serving our nation deserve. Here are some of the highlights:
In Iraq, we would make this the decisive year - to bring together an Iraqi government that includes the Sunni sect, delegitimates the insurgency, ends the sectarian grip in the Defense and Interior Ministries and amends the Iraqi constitution to meet the needs of ALL Iraqis, not just the Shia majority, then responsibly redeploy American troops
We'll redouble our efforts against Osama Bin Laden and his network, strengthening cooperation with allies in the region, doubling the size of our Special Forces and we'll initiate new policies to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons and biological weapons.
To protect our homeland, we'll screen 100% of the containers and inbound cargoes, and we'll provide our first responders with the resources and cutting-edge technology they need.
To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we'll increase production of alternate fuels from America's heartland, promote hybrid and flex fuel vehicle technology, and enhance conservation incentives.
And to strengthen our military we'll invest in manpower and equipment to project power wherever needed, strengthening our national guard, guaranteeing that our troops have the protective gear and training they need, and enacting a GI Bill Of Rights so that our troops will receive the pay, health care, and other benefits they have earned and deserve.
I'm Wesley Clark. Thanks for listening.
http://www.dnc.org/a/2006/03/retired_general.php
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