Issues for '08: Defense and National Security

Center for Strategic & International Studies: Defense and Security Policy
"provides strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers committed to advancing global security and prosperity. Founded in 1962 by David M. Abshire and Admiral Arleigh Burke, CSIS is a bipartisan, non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C with more than 220 employees."

Center for Security Policy
"The Center for Security Policy has, since its founding in 1988, operated as a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to the time-tested philosophy of promoting international peace through American strength. It accomplishes this goal by stimulating and informing national and international policy debates, in particular, those involving regional, defense, economic, financial and technology developments that bear upon the security of the United States."

Center for Defense Information (World Security Institute)
"The Center for Defense Information is dedicated to strengthening security through: international cooperation; reduced reliance on unilateral military power to resolve conflict; reduced reliance on nuclear weapons; a transformed and reformed military establishment; and, prudent oversight of, and spending on, defense programs."

The Brookings Institution: Defense
CATO Institute: Defense and National Security
The Heritage Foundation: Defense
Center for American Progress: National Security

High Frontier
"the nation's leading non-government authority on missile defense issues including missile defense, arms control, nuclear weapons, and strategic systems."

International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, with nearly 120 staff members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.

United States Institute of Peace
"an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created by Congress to promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts."

Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation
"seeks the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons as a significant tool of U.S. national security policy."

Council for a Livable World
"Founded by eminent nuclear physicist Leo Szilard, the Council for a Livable World has advocated for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction since 1962."

Project on Defense Alternatives
"has sought to adapt security policy to the challenges and opportunities of the post-Cold War era. Toward this end it promotes consideration of the broadest range of defense options. Central to its mission is the development of "transitional security policy," which would serve to create conditions favorable to the advent of regional and global cooperative security regimes."

National Defense Industry Association

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The World's Armed Forces Links

08 PROSPECTS...Starting Points on National Security and Defense

BIDEN, 1
CLARK, 1
CLINTON
DODD
KERRY, 1, 2
KUCINICH
OBAMA BROWNBACK
GINGRICH
McCAIN

Copyright © 2005, 2006 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action

08 PROSPECTS...Speeches/Statements on Iraq from the latter part of 2005
The most vexing issue facing the United States as 2005 drew to a close was the war in Iraq. The war began back on March 19, 2003 when President George W. Bush addressed the nation, declaring, "American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." History will tell whether President Bush's decision to make Iraq the central front in the war on terrorism is a success. To use a cliche, "freedom is not free." At the same time the war has proved divisive and costly, in lives and in resources and attention diverted from other areas. The months from Oct.-Dec. 2005 saw a number of milestones. On Oct. 15, 2005 Iraqis voted in the constitutional referendum. On Oct. 25, 2005 came the announcement came of the 2000th U.S.soldier to die in the war. And on Dec. 15, 2005 Iraqis voted again, this time in parliamentary elections.

The war proved a tricky issue for some Democrats who voted for the resolution to authorize the use of force in Iraq or others perhaps cowed by the prospect of being labeled unpatriotic. Sen. John Kerry's inability to enunciate a clear position clearly hurt his presidential campaign in 2004. On Nov. 13, 2005 Kerry's running mate, former Sen. John Edwards, declared that his vote for the resolution had been a mistake. Looking forward, there was considerable debate over whether there should be a timeframe or timetable for withdraw. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) on Aug. 18, 2005 put forth the idea of setting Dec. 31, 2006 as the target date for the completion of the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in a hawkish Nov. 10, 2005 speech argued that "we have to see this mission through to completion." On Nov. 15, 2005 the U.S. Senate voted 79 to 19 for an amendment "To clarify and recommend changes to the policy of the United States on Iraq and to require reports on certain matters relating to Iraq." On Nov. 17, 2005 Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a longtime defense advocate, shook up the debate with his statement that, "The war in Iraq is not going as advertised." Murtha called for immediate redeployment "consistent with the safety of U.S. forces."

Opinion magazines highlighted the differences. On the cover of its Nov. 28, 2005 issue, The Nation declared that it would "not support any Democratic candidate for national office who does not maek a speedy end to the American war in Iraq a major issue of his or her campaign." The Weekly Standard's Dec. 19, 2005 issue had a cover "Fighting to Win" with a photo of several soldiers moving forward in the desert. In the magazine Frederick W. Kagan wrote that "calls for a precipitous retreat from Iraq, or for setting arbitrary deadlines or milestones for withdrawal, now threaten to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory."

President Bush meanwhile delivered several major speeches promoting his "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq." In a Dec. 18, 2005 televised address to the nation, he declared, "America, our coalition, and Iraqi leaders are working toward the same goal -- a democratic Iraq that can defend itself, that will never again be a safe haven for terrorists, and that will serve as a model of freedom for the Middle East."
DEMS
BIDEN Nov. 21, 2005 speech
CLARK Aug. 26, 2005 unabridged op-ed
CLINTON Nov. 29, 2005 letter
EDWARDS Nov. 13, 2005 op-ed message
FEINGOLD Aug. 23, 2005 speech
KERRY Nov. 10, 2005 legislation
REPS
FRIST Nov. 18, 2005 speech
McCAIN Nov. 10, 2005 speech