It would be difficult to overstate
the strategic failures of the Bush Administration on national security. Today,
we face a world that is far more dangerous and far less secure - largely due to
the way in which this Administration has directed U.S. policy. Despite its rhetoric,
the Bush Administration has consistently failed to employ effective strategies
for promoting U.S. national security goals. Time and again, it has attempted
to address complicated policy challenges with simplistic approaches; opted for
tough talk over tough diplomacy, isolation over strategic engagement; and
substituted military might for smart strategies and real leadership.
Even with vital national security
interests at stake, Bush-McCain Republicans have failed to address mounting
threats such Iran and North Korea, and refused to right our path, despite
faltering policies. Whether it was the failure to provide sufficient troops to
Afghanistan in 2001 or Iraq in 2003, the decision to leave the fight against
the Taliban and al-Qaeda unfinished in Afghanistan and Pakistan and divert U.S.
attention and resources to Iraq, or the refusal to talk to our adversaries even
when they pose a real threat to global stability, the Bush Administration has
continued to stay the course with irresponsible, failing strategies at great
expense to U.S. national security.
It is the result of these fundamental
miscalculations, misplaced priorities, and missed opportunities that the United
States today faces a Taliban threat that is stronger than it was in 2001, a
reconstituted al-Qaeda movement that once again poses a grave threat to the
U.S. homeland, and an emboldened Iran and North Korea racing closer to full nuclear
status. With the bulk of U.S. national security resources still focused on
Iraq, real solutions to these challenges remain out of reach and more difficult
to achieve.
Securing
Afghanistan, Combating the Taliban and al-Qaeda
BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN
RECORD: For more than seven years,
the Bush Administration has had it wrong in Afghanistan. It not only has
allowed the Iraq War to distract us from the real front in the battle against
terrorism, it has employed a fundamentally inadequate strategy for achieving
U.S. national security objectives in Afghanistan. From its failure to provide
enough troops to hunt down bin Laden and secure the country in the fall of
2001, to its diversion of critical intelligence and military resources away
from the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in 2002, and its wholesale
shift of focus to an unnecessary war of choice in Iraq by 2003, the Bush-McCain
Republican record in Afghanistan has been defined by mismanagement and
misplaced priorities. At direct expense to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan,
the Administration has poured nearly four times the funding and troops into
Iraq, while leaving the effort to secure Afghanistan and combat the resurgent
Taliban and al-Qaeda under-resourced and largely neglected.
While there is widespread
consensus among national security experts and our military commanders in the
field that success in Afghanistan requires a comprehensive diplomatic, economic
and political solution, Bush-McCain Republicans have relied primarily on military
force to direct our mission. Since 2001, the Administration has had no clear,
comprehensive counterterrorism strategy to build the capacity of the Afghan
government, improve the lives of the Afghan people, combat the country's record
opium trade, or eliminate the underlying support for the Taliban and al-Qaeda
terrorists.
NATIONAL SECURITY COSTS
OF THE FAILED BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLCIAN STRATEGY:
·
More than seven years after
September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden and other key architects of the 9/11 attacks
remain at large. For 2,577 days,
the Bush Administration has failed to bring to justice the terrorists responsible
for the 9/11 attacks. (as of 10/1/08)
·
Afghanistan is at risk of
becoming a failed state and a potential safe haven for terrorists. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen recently
assessed that the U.S. is not winning in Afghanistan and cautioned that we are
"running out of time." With the Karzai government in control of just 30
percent of the country, violence at an all-time high, a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda,
and record opium trade fueling corruption and insurgent activity, the success
of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is in jeopardy. (Los Angeles Times,
9/11/08)
Although the Bush Administration is belatedly beginning to recognize the urgency
of refocusing on Afghanistan, its call for a limited increase in troop levels
remains insufficient for achieving U.S. national security goals. The
additional brigade President Bush has offered to send would still leave U.S.
forces in Afghanistan 20,000 short and does not provide the comprehensive
strategy necessary for long-term success. As General Petraeus stated earlier
this month, "We've got a situation in Afghanistan where clearly there have been
trends headed in the wrong direction...military action is absolutely necessary
but it is not sufficient." (McClatchy, 9/10/08; Associated Press,
9/14/08)
·
The U.S. struggle to win the
hearts and minds of the Afghan people is in jeopardy. The Bush Administration's inadequate investment in
economic development and long-term reconstruction assistance is eroding Afghan
support for U.S.-led counterterrorism initiatives as well as popular backing of
the Karzai government. Seven years later, U.S. reconstruction efforts have not
done enough to improve the lives of the Afghan people: access to clean water
and health care continues to be extremely limited, food costs continue to rise,
crime and corruption have grown rampant, while poverty remains widespread.
(Center for American Progress, 6/11/08)
Efforts to win the support of the Afghan people are also being undermined by the
Bush Administration's military strategy. The current shortage of U.S. troops
on the ground has forced military commanders to rely more on airstrikes
- a policy that has led to increased civilian casualties and caused a popular
backlash against U.S.-led counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan. In a study
released earlier this month, Human Rights Watch reported that civilian deaths
from U.S. and NATO airstrikes nearly tripled between 2006 and 2007 and remain
high for 2008. Commanders warn that this heavy-handed strategy is making it
more difficult for the Afghan government to cooperate with U.S.
counterterrorism efforts. (Washington Post, 9/17/08; Human Rights Watch,
9/8/08)
Building
an Effective Partnership with Pakistan in the Fight against Terrorism
BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN
RECORD: The Bush Administration has
pursued a dangerously simplistic approach toward Pakistan, a country central to
reining in the threat of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, preventing nuclear
terrorism, and promoting stability in a volatile region of the world. While
the complexity of Pakistan's challenges demand a comprehensive strategy, this
Administration has relied almost exclusively on a short-sighted strategy built
on a personal relationship with President Musharraf. Despite the regime's
authoritarian practices and history of ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda
extremists, the Bush Administration essentially outsourced U.S.
counterterrorism efforts to Pakistan's military. Since 2002, Bush-McCain
Republicans have funneled $11 billion in military assistance to Pakistan with
little oversight or accountability - and few real results.
Earlier this year, the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Bush Administration has no
"comprehensive plan for meeting U.S. national security goals" in Pakistan's
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) - the very area that our
intelligence community says al-Qaeda has rebuilt its organization and is
actively plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland. At the same time,
Bush Administration and U.S. military officials acknowledge that the majority of
the billions in U.S. assistance was used by the Pakistani military to finance
weapons systems - and not to counter the threat of the Taliban and al-Qaeda
operating inside its borders.
NATIONAL SECURITY COSTS
OF THE FAILED BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN STRATEGY:
·
Al-Qaeda and affiliated
terrorists have secured safe havens along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan
and regenerated their ability to attack the U.S. homeland. In the July 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE),
our intelligence community assessed that al-Qaeda's central organization had
effectively regenerated its core capabilities and secured a new safe haven in
the tribal region of Pakistan. According to the NIE, "Al-Qa'ida is and will
remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central
leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in
extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its
capabilities." (National Intelligence Estimate, 7/17/07)
·
Al-Qaeda has rebuilt its core
capacity and is today, inspiring new recruits and plotting more attacks. Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists operate freely and
have grown increasingly secure in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Intelligence
officials have reported strengthened ties between Pakistan's intelligence
agency and cited evidence the group's involvement in increasingly deadly and
sophisticated attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In March, CIA Director Michael Hayden stated that the
border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan represented a "clear and present
danger to Afghanistan, to Pakistan and to the West in general, and to the
United States in particular." (New York Times, 7/30/08; General Michael
Hayden, Meet the Press, 3/30/08)
Winning
the Battle of Ideas in the War on Terrorism, Promoting American's Global Leadership
BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN
RECORD: In the aftermath of the 9/11
attacks, the international community rallied behind America and the U.S.-led
campaign against global terrorism. Since that time, the Bush Administration's reliance
on military power to lead its counterterrorism efforts, its record of
undermining international institutions and laws, and its unilateralist foreign
policies have squandered much of that goodwill and significantly damaged
America's moral and economic leverage in the world. While the Administration
has actively professed support for democracy and freedom, it has pursued
policies that fail to uphold these ideals, including its policies on military
tribunals, unlawful detention and interrogation procedures in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, and secret CIA prisons.
NATIONAL SECURITY COSTS
OF THE FAILED BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN STRATEGY:
·
Al-Qaeda continues to expand
its global network and inspire new movements around the world. In his 2008 Annual Threat Assessment,
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell reported that al-Qaeda has
continued to expand its worldwide operational and ideological reach over the
past few years. New terrorist organizations have emerged and many existing
networks have gained renewed strength, from al-Qaeda affiliates in North Africa
and Southeast Asia to "homegrown" extremists operating in many parts of Europe
and even in the United States. While these organizations often draw resources
and inspiration from al-Qaeda, they primarily operate independently, making
them more difficult to identify and defeat.
·
The Bush Administration has
undermined the United States ability to lead and win the campaign against
terrorism. The Administration's misguided
policies have alienated key allies, served to empower al-Qaeda's recruiting
efforts and elevate its extremist ideology, and severely eroded U.S. moral
leadership in the world - effectively weakening the international coalition
against global terrorism.
·
Anti-American sentiment has
reached unprecedented levels - particularly in the Muslim World. Approval ratings of the United States have fallen to
record lows since 2002. The 2008 Pew Global Attitudes Project reported
overwhelmingly negative views of the United States in much of the Muslim World,
with the majority of the population in most countries - including Indonesia, Jordan,
Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco - holding unfavorable views toward America.
Underlying this sentiment is a widespread belief among many Muslims that the
real intention of the U.S. campaign against terrorism is to weaken Islam and
gain political dominance over Muslim countries. (Pew Global Attitudes Project,
7/22/08; American Security Project, 9/08)
·
Reckless Bush policies have
lead to a significant decline in America's leverage around the world. Disastrous Bush-McCain economic policies that have
led to the current financial crisis are not only hurting us at home, they are
threatening America's ability to project power in the global arena. Experts
say that the crisis has raised questions about America's economic model and
poses a considerable threat to U.S. credibility and influence abroad. Reports say
that while foreign investors are losing confidence in the dollar, there is real
concern that our indebtedness to foreign countries is compromising America's
ability lead on critical global initiatives. (Council on Foreign Relations,
9/26/08)
Promoting
the Development of a Secure, Stable Iraq
BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN
RECORD: The Bush Administration's
strategy in Iraq has been a failure from its conception. From the use of
intelligence in the lead up to the war, to pre-war planning and post-war
strategy and implementation, the Bush-McCain Republican policies for securing
and rebuilding Iraq have proven short-sighted and misguided. Flawed policies
on troop levels, detainee treatment, countering terrorist and insurgent forces,
anti-corruption, and restoring basic services have severely undermined U.S. efforts
to promote political reconciliation and build a legitimate, viable Iraqi government.
More than five years after the President's declaration of "mission accomplished"
in Iraq, U.S. forces remain above pre-surge levels and the Bush Administration
still has no strategy for success. Political officials, military leaders and
national security experts agree that a political solution is the only way to bring
long-term security and stability to Iraq, yet Bush-McCain Republicans continue
to stay the course behind an open-ended military commitment.
NATIONAL SECURITY COSTS
OF THE FAILED BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN STRATEGY:
·
The American people continue to
bear an enormous economic burden of the war: even as the Iraqi government sits
on nearly $80 billion in surplus oil revenues, the Bush Administration
continues to pour $10 billion into Iraq each month. To date, more than $650 billion in U.S. taxpayer money
has been devoted to the failed Bush strategy in Iraq. Experts estimate
that maintaining a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq - as advocated by the White
House and its Republican allies - could cost upwards of $3 trillion. This
enormous drain on our economy has prevented the U.S. from addressing key national
security priorities and meeting critical domestic needs at home. (CRS, 7/17/08;
Joint Economic Committee, War at Any Price? 11/9/07)
·
For more than five years, U.S.
troops have been bogged down in Iraq, unavailable to address the rising
terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan or respond to other contingencies
around the world. The opportunity
costs of the Administration's war in Iraq have been devastating for U.S.
national security. While the Bush Administration has been focused on Iraq, it
has left Afghanistan and Pakistan vulnerable to a Taliban and al-Qaeda
resurgence and has allowed other threats to go unchecked in other parts of the
globe.
·
Regional stability continues
to be threatened by an emboldened Iran and an Iraqi refugee crisis. Continued insecurity and a weak central government in
Iraq since 2003 - the result of the Bush Administration's poor execution of the
war in Iraq - have allowed Iran to assert unprecedented influence in the Middle
East. In his 2007 Annual Threat Assessment, Director of National
Intelligence (DNI) Negroponte warned that Iran's growing regional power posed a
real threat to Middle East stability: "Iran is enhancing its ability to project
its military power...with the goal of dominating the Gulf region and deterring
potential adversaries... Our Arab allies fear Iran's increasing influence, and
are concerned about worsening tensions between Shia and Sunni Islam."
At the same time, the displacement of more than 4.7 million Iraqis following
the U.S. invasion of Iraq and continued sectarian and insurgent violence has
presented an enormous humanitarian challenge and economic burden to the
region. The U.N. estimates that more than two million Iraqis have fled to
neighboring states recent years, including Jordan, Syria and Egypt. In its
August 2007 NIE, our intelligence community warned of the destabilizing impact
of this crisis: the "[p]opulation displacement resulting from sectarian
violence continues, imposing burdens on provincial governments and some
neighboring states and increasing the danger of destabilizing influences
spreading across Iraq's borders over the next six to 12 months." (National
Intelligence Estimate, 8/23/07)
·
The war has fueled radicalism
and empowered al-Qaeda and the global terrorist threat. As we know from a number of assessments from our
intelligence community, the Bush strategy in Iraq has failed to make us safer
at home or make the world safer from terrorism. National Intelligence
Estimates released in 2006 and 2007 assessed that the conflict in Iraq had become a "cause celebre" for jihadists and was
"help[ing] al-Qaeda energize the broader Sunni extremist community, raise
resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland
attacks." (National Intelligence Estimate, April 2006, released 9/26/06 and
National Intelligence Estimate, 7/17/07)
·
Repeated and extended
deployments of U.S. troops to Iraq have dangerously undermined our military
readiness and left our country without a strategic reserve. The Bush Administration's flawed Iraq strategy and
mismanagement of our military has caused a readiness shortfall in both our
active-duty and National Guard and Reserve forces. Military leaders warn that
the continuing crisis is compromising the quality of force training, weakening
our strategic deterrence, and limiting the ability of our forces to quickly
respond to domestic disasters and contingencies around the globe.
Countering
Iran's Nuclear Ambitions and Destabilizing Influence in the Middle East
BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN
RECORD: The Bush Administration has
failed develop a comprehensive strategy toward Iran, the regime it declared
part of an "axis of evil" and a "grave and growing danger" to the United States
and the world. Instead of working with other countries to devise a
realistic "carrot and stick" approach for halting the country's nuclear weapons
program and its support for terrorism, and engaging Tehran on shared national
security interests, the Bush Administration has pursued a one-dimensional,
confrontational approach. While pushing for tough sanctions, advocating for
regime change, and refusing direct talks, the Administration has missed
critical opportunities. At the same time, its confrontational strategy and
saber-rattling has served to embolden Tehran's drive for a nuclear weapon and largely
discredited the threat of military action, which, experts say, makes the
prospect of conflict more likely.
NATIONAL SECURITY COSTS
OF THE FAILED BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN STRATEGY:
·
Iran has made significant
progress in its enrichment efforts.
While estimates vary, most experts believe that Iran will have the capacity to
produce a nuclear weapon within the next several years to a decade. In his 2008
Annual Threat Assessment, DNI McConnell stated that the earliest Iran could
reach nuclear status would be late 2009, but the most likely timeframe would be
between 2010-2015.
·
Iran has become emboldened in
its pursuit of nuclear weapons, while the United States in a weaker position to
address its threat. Experts warn
that the Administration's record of disengagement from Iran and its failed
policies in Iraq and the war on terrorism have significantly increased Iran's
influence in the region and weakened the capacity of the United States to
address its growing threat.
·
Iran has fomented instability
and gained unprecedented influence in the region. With direct diplomatic channels with the United
States largely closed, Iran has continued to look to terrorist and extremist
groups - including Hamas and Hezbollah - to assert its power and exert
influence in the Middle East. Iran has been responsible for continued unrest
and violence in Iraq and Lebanon and poses a growing threat to Israel.
Addressing
North Korea's Nuclear Threat
BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN
RECORD: The Bush Administration also
has failed to advance an effective, coherent strategy for addressing the
national security challenges presented by North Korea. Despite the success of
the Agreed Framework in halting the country's plutonium production and keeping
its nuclear ambitions in check under the Clinton Administration, the Bush White
House adopted a hard-line approach with Pyongyang. In his 2002 State of the
Union Address, President Bush declared North Korea part of an "axis of evil,"
accusing the government of "arming with missiles and weapons of mass
destruction..." Following the breakdown of the Agreed Framework process in 2003,
North Korea kicked out international monitors and lifted its eight-year freeze
on plutonium production. From 2003 to 2006, the Bush Administration rejected
any meaningful negotiations with Pyongyang. It was not until the country
detonated a nuclear device in 2006 that the Bush Administration changed course
and moved toward a limited engagement strategy with North Korea.
NATIONAL SECURITY COSTS
OF THE FAILED BUSH-MCCAIN REPUBLICAN STRATEGY:
·
North Korea has dramatically
increased its nuclear materials stockpile under the Bush Administration's
watch. When President Bush took
office in 2000, North Korea's nuclear capabilities were in check: Pyongyang had
enough materials to manufacture just one to two nuclear weapons, and its
plutonium production program remained frozen under the terms of the 1994 Agreed
Framework with the United States. Today, the situation is markedly different.
Since renouncing the freeze and withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty in 2003, North Korea has made considerable advances in its nuclear
weapons program and also tested a nuclear device. Experts believe that the
country may have produced enough plutonium to manufacture up to nine nuclear
weapons. With the apparent breakdown of the six-party framework in recent
days, there are grave concerns that Pyongyang is once again restarting its
nuclear program. (Congressional Research Service, 2/5/08; Institute for Science
and International Security)
·
Pyongyang has become
emboldened and poses an increased threat to global security. While the Bush Administration has wavered between
dual strategies of engagement and isolation, North Korea has achieved strategic
gains and become a greater danger to the international community. As its
nuclear advancements, missile tests, and defiance of treaty obligations have
gone unpunished and the Bush Administration's rhetoric proven empty, Pyongyang
has become emboldened. Troubling reports have warned that North Korea may have
sold nuclear materials and expertise to our adversaries - including Syria and
Iran. Further, a number of experts have suggested that it is plausible that
North Korea would sell weapons of mass destruction to al-Qaeda or other
terrorist groups.
Bush-McCain Republicans Stand for
More of the Same
Despite the disastrous
results of the past eight years, Republicans in Congress, including Senator
McCain, stand by the Bush record on national security and support the very
policies and misguided approaches that have left America less safe and less
capable of advancing our national security goals. It is clear that we cannot
afford to allow Bush-McCain Republicans to continue on this path.
·
Bush-McCain Republicans
support continuing the open-ended commitment in Iraq. Despite the tremendous human, economic, and
national security costs of the Bush Iraq policy, Republicans have supported
maintaining a large, long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq - a policy has
given a blank check to Iraq, kept U.S. troops hostage to the country's political
leaders, and is costing the American people $10 billion each month.
·
Bush-McCain Republicans would
continue to leave our mission in Afghanistan dangerously under-resourced. Even as our top military leaders warn that we are
"running out of time" to save our mission in Afghanistan, Bush-McCain Republicans
have supported keeping the bulk of U.S. troops and national security resources
in Iraq - a strategy that comes at the direct cost of addressing the resurgent
Taliban and al-Qaeda and escalating violence in Afghanistan.
·
Bush-McCain Republicans share
the same misplaced priorities on national security. As Secretary Gates recently testified, the greatest
threat to the U.S. homeland comes from al-Qaeda's central leadership operating in
the tribal areas of Pakistan, yet Republicans stand by the Bush policy that has
surged U.S. forces to Iraq, and continues to keep our limited national security
resources diverted from the central front in the war on terrorism in
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
·
Bush-McCain Republicans stand
behind a reckless foreign policy based on the use of military force. The disastrous results of the Bush Administration's
over-reliance on military force makes clear that the challenges of the 21st
Century demand the full range of national security policy tools, which include
not only military power, but tough diplomacy, economic strength, smart
leadership, and strong international partnerships. While our top military
officials understand this, and have consistently asserted that our greatest
national security challenges cannot be addressed by military force alone, but
instead require comprehensive strategies and political solutions, Republicans
continue to defend the Bush doctrine of preventive war and support its failed
policy approaches to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Korea.
·
Bush-McCain Republicans also
oppose the use of tough diplomacy, critical to addressing the national security
challenges of the 21st Century. Bush-McCain Republicans have dismissed the indispensible role of smart
diplomacy for effectively dealing with our adversaries. Instead, they have
defended this Administration's isolationist, hard-lined approaches that have
only served to empower and embolden adversaries like Iran, while heightening
national security challenges and weakening our leverage to address them.
·
Bush-McCain Republicans share
a similar disregard for the rule of law and distaste for international
cooperation. Despite the grave
implications of the Bush Administration's unilateralist foreign policies,
flawed detainee policies, interrogation techniques, and flagrant disregard for
international law, Bush-McCain Republicans stand by these practices which have
undermined U.S. leadership on human rights, empowered terrorists' recruiting
efforts, place our soldiers at risk, and weakened international cooperation in
the campaign against al-Qaeda and global terrorist threats.