Kerry Proposes 'Progressive Internationalism' As Alternative To 'Blustering' Bush Approach
Friday, January 24, 2003 By: Scott Shepard
Cox News Service
WASHINGTON --- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry derided what he called the ‘‘belligerent and myopic unilateralism’’ of the Bush administration’s foreign policy Thursday, promising to replace it with ‘‘progressive internationalism’’ that works closer with allies to promote democracies and trade around the globe. And while he urged President Bush to rely more on diplomacy and international support before going to war to disarm Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Kerry also said the United States must always be ready to act alone when necessary. ‘‘Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator leading an oppressive regime,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘And while American security must never be ceded to any institution or to another institution’s decision, I say to the president, show respect for the process of international diplomacy . . . do not rush to war.’’ Kerry, a four-term senator from Massachusetts, delivered his critique of the Bush foreign policy in a speech at Georgetown University in Washington. It was his latest effort to bolster his party’s image on the issue of national security. ‘‘For Democrats to win America’s confidence, we must first convince Americans we will keep them safe,’’ he said. ‘‘You can’t do that by avoiding the subjects of national security, foreign policy and military preparedness. Nor can we let our national security agenda be defined by those who reflexively oppose any U.S. military intervention anywhere, who see U.S. power as mostly a malignant force in world politics, who place a higher value on achieving multilateral consensus than necessarily protecting our vital interests.’’ Kerry, who was decorated for heroism in the Vietnam War, delivered a similar assessment last summer in New York at a meeting of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the centrist organization that served as a springboard to Bill Clinton’s successful campaign for president in 1992. But the task undertaken by Kerry to restore a foreign policy balance to the Democratic Party may be just as difficult as the task Clinton faced in moving the party back from its reliance on big government programs as a response to domestic problems. The difficulty of that task was reflected in a new poll released Thursday by Democracy Corps, a public policy research organization founded by former Clinton advisers James Carville and Stan Greenberg. The poll showed that on the issue of homeland security, Americans favor Republicans 54 to 16 percent over Democrats. At a breakfast with reporters to publicize the poll, Greenberg noted that while Bush continues to have solid support on foreign policy issues, Americans are beginning to be uncomfortable with the president’s go-it-alone approach. Americans are recognizing that ‘‘being unpopular in the world in this environment has consequences,’’ he added. Still, ‘‘Democrats have got to put defense and foreign policy issues on the table,’’ Carville said. ‘‘Democrats can’t just talk about health care and environment and prescription drugs. Democrats have to present a reasonable, rational position for use of American power in the world.’’
Kerry sought to do just that with his speech Thursday, arguing for a ‘‘bold progressive internationalism’’ that ‘‘commits America to lead the world toward liberty and prosperity’’ through international coalitions and expanded trade, a formula that should begin immediately in the Middle East. He noted that the Muslim world had become a breeding ground for hostility to the West as a result of political repression, economic stagnation, population growth and lack of education. ‘‘With creative leadership, the U.S. can enlist our allies in a sustained multilateral campaign to build bridges between the community of democracies and the greater Middle East,’’ he said. Kerry, one of six Democrats vying to be the party’s presidential candidate, said the Bush administration’s ’’blustering unilateralism’’ was wrong and dangerous. ‘‘It has meant alienating our long-time friends and allies, alarming potential foes and spreading anti-Americanism around the world,’’ he said. ‘‘The U.S. should never go to war because it wants to,’’ he added. ‘‘The U.S. should go to war because we have to.’’ War isn’t justified ‘‘until we have exhausted the remedies available, built legitimacy and earned the consent of the American people,’’ he said.
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