Democrats and security

Lots of debate recently about Democratic security policy. Here's my two cents on the basic principles for all Democrats without going into policy details.

Stygius offers possibly the smartest advice to the Democrats trying to define a position on national security: "Dead terrorists can't kill Americans." That's not a policy, but a phrase Democrats should internalize as they think about whatever policy they want to promote. Killing terrorists does provide some level of security plus adds to the security image.

One quote that is complementary, not contradictory, comes from President Clinton: "...if you come from a wealthy country with open borders, unless you seriously believe you can kill, imprison, or occupy all of your enemies, you have to make a world with more friends and fewer enemies, with more partners and fewer terrorists."

So while I agree Democrats must accept that the US will need to kill terrorists in order to keep America safe, the long term goal needs to be stopping terrorism in the first place.

There are many policy discussions on national security surrounding immediate threats (preemptive action, self-defense, work within the international framework, etc.). There are also a lot of philosophies on how to deter terrorists long term, from the neo-con/Truman Democrat theory of promoting democracy to other views that place higher priorities on economic development or human rights.

But I'm not asking for a specific party-wide policy on Iraq or an agreement on philosophy. Rather there must simply be a recognition that long term the US must have some pro-active policy to deter America's enemies including terrorists. Even if there are disagreements on specific actions or philosophies, there must be a consensus within the party that sitting back and doing nothing about America's enemies is not an option.

Short version for Democrats: Be tough to keep America safe in the short term, be smart to find long term security solutions, and for God sakes do something because doing nothing is not an alternative.