Dems outline priorities on national security

Democrats criticized the Republicans for being weak on national security at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) forum. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) said the Democrats need to develop more allies than the Bush administration has done. Bayh said that the U.S. needs “other people standing by our side in our national security interests.”

Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) said Afghanistan was “strategically, the most important place in the world.” She said that because of its lack of resources and structure, many terrorists have gone there to congregate and regroup. Retired Marine Corps Col. T.X. Hammes said the current U.S. mission in Afghanistan will never be successful until we develop a national security strategy. He also said that an influx of troops will not change the situation there if national security options continue to be “knee-jerk decisions.”

The Bush administration “has failed to lead non-proliferation,” Tauscher continued. There will soon be 500 nuclear power plants, and 40 will be able to make nuclear weapons on short notice, the congresswoman warned.

Reza Aslan, author of the book “No God but God: the Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam,” said that the U.S. is asking “Why do they hate us,” when it should ask, “Who the hell are they?” A feeling has developed in the Middle East that the “war on terror” is a “war on Islam.” He said that U.S. efforts in that region have radicalized the terrorist groups there.