Though Eric Penkal and the College Republicans may want to claim Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Henry Jackson as their own, (Monday's letter Democrats need to live in present
) the facts won't allow it. Truman, Kennedy and Jackson were liberal internationalists who believed in the necessity of military force in rebuffing totalitarian aggression. However, the key words here are liberal internationalist. Liberal internationalists believe that in a fallen and sinful world, evil --i.e. Saddam Hussein --only responds to force.
However, we also understand that pure military power only can accomplish so much. Therefore, as internationalists, we recognize that the United States must act in concert with our allies to realize its goals.
I, and many other liberals such as senators Joe Lieberman, Joe Biden, John Kerry and John Edwards to name a few, supported the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Just like President Bush, many liberals were greatly disappointed that our allies refused to join us in Iraq. However, unlike the president, we can respectfully disagree with our friends. Instead of renaming fried potatoes freedom fries or refusing to receive the German chancellor's phone calls, as Bush did, liberal internationalists would have maintained a good working relationship with our longtime allies.
Even though I was disappointed in NATO's refusal to join us in Iraq, liberals realize Europeans have a right to conduct their foreign policies as they see fit. Moreover, liberals understand our allies still could have played a vital role in Iraq after Hussein's ouster.
Indeed, because of NATO's work in the former Yugoslavia, the organization is uniquely experienced in the nation building efforts that have so bogged down our operations in Iraq.
Make no mistake, Sept. 11, 2001, signaled the start of a global war. It was a war that we did not seek, but it is one we will win. Unfortunately, the president has pursued policies that have divided us, and the global war on terror is weaker for those actions. Bush's war could have been waged in the grand liberal internationalist tradition, had he bothered to respectfully consult our allies or avoided conducting his foreign policy on a partisan basis.
Recall the names of senators Max Cleland, Jean Carnahan and Tom Daschle. These are three liberals who supported Bush's policies in Iraq and whom the president actively campaigned against during the 2002 and 2004 elections. In contrast, when the liberal internationalist Franklin Roosevelt was president during a time of war, he appointed Republicans to his cabinet and sought domestic consensus.
Following FDR's example of establishing national unity during war, wouldn't it make sense to appoint a Democrat the head of Homeland Security? How about a Democratic attorney general? Remember that many Democrats voted for the much maligned Patriot Act. Liberals don't necessarily dislike the legislation, we resent having John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales interpret the laws in a draconian fashion. And don't even get me started on what Henry Jackson would have thought about American advocacy of torture. Scoop Jackson Democrats, and I am damn proud to be one of them, realize that human rights are universal and are not simply reserved for Americans.
Liberals believe that both means and ends matter. More Americans and Iraqis are dead because the administration went to war arrogantly and alone. After we toppled Saddam, the insurgency did not begin immediately. In the months after the fall of Baghdad, the administration failed to secure Iraq's borders, maintain order or even keep the nation's electrical grid working. Because the United States failed to bring in international organizations skilled in nation building and more troops to finish the job, a bunch of two-bit terrorists filled the void.
Liberals realize we cannot leave Iraq. Indeed we realize more than anyone else that failure in Iraq is not an option; the stakes are simply too high. However, we are simply fed up with the president's inept and overly partisan wartime leadership. Like my College Republican friends, I admire JFK, Harry Truman and Scoop Jackson. However, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, Mr. Bush you are no Jack Kennedy. 17
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