THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL SECURITY PLAN, PART IV
TKS
jim geraghty reporting
Deep in the section of the Democratic National Security plan about securing Russia's nuclear arsenal (page 62), I found this nugget:
<<< The top of our agenda must be securing Russian cooperation in preventing terrorists from acquiring nukes. Other concerns, such as Russia’s backsliding on democracy, must be given lesser priority. >>>
Gutsy call. I was reminded of a comment from a forthcoming book:
A strategist close to the Bush White House observes that
the opposition party has devolved in two areas:
“If you look back at the history of the Democratic Party,
there was a time when they were both strong on defense
and strong on idealism. If you read the speeches of
Kennedy and Roosevelt, you sense the themes of idealism
and the need for a strong military. Then in late 1960s,
1970s and early 1980s, they became weak on defense, but
still strong on idealism. Their critique against the
Republican party was that that it wasn’t standing up for
American ideals. They focused on the corruption of South
Vietnamese, on the need for sanctions on South Africa, on
death squads on Central America. They made an idealistic
case, even if they weren’t willing to use military force.
Today the Democrats are weak on defense and weak on
idealism. It is clear in terms of Iraq that they take no
joy in the liberation of 25 million people from one of the
most malevolent regimes in modern times. President Bush
has seized the mantle of idealism that they have left,
talking about the inherent dignity of man, human rights,
and the rights of women.”
Somewhere, Henry Kissinger is chuckling. I wonder if he would feel more at home with the Democrats right now.
UPDATE: This section also has proposals that sound like they came out of a Dilbert comic strip mocking empty business blather talk.
<<< Move from assistance to partnership.
o Accelerate and strengthen U.S.–Russian cooperation.
o Build Russian commitment to sustain high levels of security once international assistance ends.
o Agree on what levels of security are needed and what standards should be met.
o Decide on specific deadlines for when all loose Russian nuclear weapons and materials will be contained and secured.
o Resolve remaining access and liability issues.
o Consolidate nuclear stockpiles.
o Develop nuclear “security culture.”
o Exchange “best practices” for securing nukes.
o Work together on nuclear security in the rest of the world to ensure that every weapon and every kilogram of material worldwide is secured and accounted for.
o Improve Nunn–Lugar.
o Streamline to remove bureaucratic obstacles.
o Establish who is in charge. >>>
I want to play some version of the Dilbert Pointy Haired Boss Buzzword Bingo: synergy, leadership, leverage, unified messaging, competency, collaboration, empowerment, quality, paradigm, team-enhancing, outside the box, radar screen, culture-shift...
tks.nationalreview.com
democrats.senate.gov
amazon.com
en.wikipedia.org |
