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Dean Does Not Waver on Iraq Criticism
Dean's highly choreographed entrance onto the foreign policy stage was overshadowed by the events overseas and, to a lesser extent, strategic moves by his rivals. But the speech still drew considerable attention.
Like the other Democratic candidates, Dean has built his foreign policy on a foundation of multilateralism. "It can at times be challenging, even frustrating, to obtain the cooperation of allies," he said. "But as history shows, America is most successful in achieving our national aims when our allies are by our side."
Dean portrayed himself as a muscular multilateralist, highlighting his support for past wars in Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan. He often takes a harder line against Saudi Arabia than Bush.
In a question period, Dean outlined what he called the "Dean doctrine" for appropriate military action: to defend the country, stop an "imminent" threat and intervene overseas when other nations refuse to halt genocide. The doctrine includes the right to unilateral, preemptive action.
A key piece of his multilateral approach is to intensify negotiations with North Korea before it becomes an imminent threat fully loaded with nuclear weapons.
"This president is about to be responsible for the fact North Korea has become a nuclear power under his watch," Dean said. If North Korea becomes a nuclear power, he said, the communist nation could qualify under his definition of an imminent threat. He also would ask former president Bill Clinton to take a lead role in brokering a Middle East peace deal.
Dean said voters face a "crucial moment" in history with two distinct approaches to choose from: "They must choose between a go-it-alone approach to every problem and a truly global alliance to defeat terror and peace. They must chose between today's new radical unilateralism and a renewal of respect for" multilateral organizations and efforts.
Balz reported from Washington. Assistant polling director Claudia Deane contributed to this report.
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