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Democrats Maintain Iraq Criticism
Besides the presidential candidates, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a new international authority to help ease the transition of power to Iraqis. Clinton, whom many Democrats consider a likely presidential candidate in 2008, echoed this year's candidates in qualifying her praise for the capture of Saddam.
"This moment, however, cannot be just about congratulating ourselves," she said in a speech in New York, arguing the U.S. government has "a new opportunity" to internationalize the rebuilding effort by forming a new power structure.
Democrats have been hammering Bush for failing to capture Hussein and Osama bin Laden, despite months of manhunts. The arrest of Saddam eliminated one symbol of Bush's failings, but several of the Democrats argued the goal could have been met in less time if a different president were in office.
In his address, Dean pledged to bolster U.S. troops, particularly terrorism-fighting special forces. He would work with allies to spread the cost and risks of battling terrorists, Dean said, and focus on efforts to stem the flow of weapons of mass destruction.
Even before the address, Dean's campaign announced a list of prominent foreign affairs advisers, including Anthony Lake, national security adviser under in the Clinton White House.
Both Dean and Edwards proposed tripling the amount of U.S. money spent to secure Russia's nuclear arsenal, and Edwards said he would appoint a proliferation czar to oversee the issue.
Titled "Strategy of prevention, not pre-emption," Edwards' address urges Bush to reverse plans to try Saddam through the U.S.-selected Iraqi Governing Council. The North Carolina senator also urged Bush to reverse an order denying lucrative reconstruction contracts to nations that did not back the war.
On nuclear proliferation, Edwards said he would convene a world summit to create a Global Nuclear Compact that reinforces the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Nations that opt out of the pact or violate its anti-proliferation rules would be subject to strong, immediate penalties aimed at their military capabilities.
"To win the global war on terror, America does not need a new doctrine of pre-emption; we need a new strategy of prevention," he said.
URL: washingtonpost.com |
