Open Letter to Dean Supporters

I've said it before - Howard Dean is not a serious candidate when it comes to foreign policy.

But to be honest, I've never really read much about Dean straight from the horse's mouth. So this morning, I went to "Dean For America".

Astounding.

On Iraq:

We remain the sole superpower in the world. As Madeleine Albright once put it, we are the "indispensable power" for addressing so many of the challenges around the world. But we cannot lead the world by force, and we cannot go it alone. We must lead toward clearly articulated and shared goals and with the cooperation and respect of friends and allies.

With sixty allies in Iraq - including virtually every nation that has a credible military, besides France, Germany and Russia, I think we can say it's official; "International Cooperation" is a Democrat euphemism for the UN. I'm convinced that the President could have every nation in the world on board, including our enemies - but if the UN Security Council weren't on board, the Democrats would call the President a unilateralist cowboy.

I seek to restore the best traditions of American leadership. Leadership in which our power is multiplied by the appeal of democratic ideals and by the knowledge that our country is a force for law around the world, not a law unto itself.

Right. Because we're mainly regarded as a rogue state today, right?

In fact, I can see why Dean is squirming on this one: Bush has overthrown the Truman doctrine of supporting all anti-Communist governments, no matter how unsavory or horrific their leadership. We are doing the right thing - which kicks the legs out from under a traditional liberal stance, one of the few admirable ones they've taken in the last 35 years.

That has to hurt.

I will not divide the world into us versus them. Rather, I will rally the world around fundamental principles of decency, responsibility, freedom, and mutual respect. Our foreign and military policy must be about the notion of America leading the world, not America against the world.

Which is nice, but a big part of the world regards the situation as "them versus us". Radical Islam - nicknamed "Islamofascism" for good reason - is entrenched in a "them versus us" view that is a key tenet of (their perversion of) their faith.

I've yet to see how Howard Dean plans to change their minds, beyond vague blandishments about being decent and responsible.

On North Korea:

A nuclear North Korea is unacceptable. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration's mishandling of this crisis has made this outcome more, not less, likely. Contrary to this Administration's view, engagement is not appeasement, and it is time for a coherent approach that will effectively deal with this crisis:

Negotiate a resolution of this issue with North Korea—but do so from strength. We are the strongest nation in the world; North Korea is one of the most backward and isolated.

Articulate a redline, making clear that the US—and it allies especially Japan and South Korea—will not tolerate NK's production of nuclear weapons.

We've had redlines. The DPRK crossed them. Under Clinton, they crossed quite a number of them.

So, Dr. Dean - when (not if) Kim crosses your "redline", what will you do?

Yeah, yeah, I know - negotiate from strength. So what if the DPRK pulls out and goes their own way, as they've done repeatedly?

Well?

Offer a declaration of peaceful intentions and economic exchanges—supported by our allies especially South Korea and Japan—in exchange for verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons.

Which we've tried.

Utilize a program of intrusive inspections to generate verifiability of any agreement.

And when - not if - Kim repudiates the inspections (as he did during the Clinton administration - then what?

Kim Jong-Il eats naive-on-foreign-policy Democrat presidents for breakfast.

Develop an economic program with South Korea, Japan, and China that will generate change in the North Korean society

Dr. Dean - that's fine. Except for the little matter of one Kim Jong-Il, whose entire existence is based on the retardation of change. Secret police. World's largest per-capita military. Stalinist apparatus of oppression. Concentration camps. You advocate what sort of change - putting up a TGI Fridays in Pyongyang?

I could read more - go into his domestic "agenda" - but who cares?

Foreign Policy and the War on Terrorism is the only issue for me this election. And Howard Dean is not a serious candidate.

Posted by Mitch at December 17, 2003 05:47 AM