 We
will protect Americans at home and lead the
world by telling the truth to our troops, our
citizens and our allies. We believe in a
strong national defense that is both tough and
smart, recognizing that homeland security
begins with hometown security.
Democrats
have a plan that is comprehensive-- from
repairing our military, to winning the war on
terror, to protecting our homeland security,
to ensuring success in Iraq and freeing
America of its dependence on foreign oil--and
it will finally prepare America for the
security needs of the 21st Century. And we
honor the sacrifices our troops, their
families and veterans by making sure we take
care of them when they come home.
Democrats are unwavering in our commitment
to keep our nation safe. For Democrats,
homeland security begins with hometown
security. That's why we led the fight to
create the Department of Homeland Security and
continue to fight to ensure that our ports,
nuclear and chemical plants, and other
sensitive facilities are secured against
attack and support increased funding for our
first responders and programs like the COPS
program so we keep our communities safe. We
want to close the remaining gaps in our
security by enacting the 9/11 Commission
recommendations.
A report in today's Washington Post
concludes that after three months, the Forward
Together military operation that President
Bush ordered has failed to reduce escalating
violence in Iraq as intended. Democrats have
been joined by leading Generals and top
Congressional Republicans in rejecting
President Bush's failed stay-the-course
strategy in Iraq and want a new direction that
is both tough and smart.
The Washington Post reports that, "The
growing doubts among GOP lawmakers about the
administration's Iraq strategy, coupled with
the prospect of Democratic wins in next
month's midterm elections, will soon force the
Bush administration to abandon its open-ended
commitment to the war..."
The Republican's latest attack ad is a
desperate ploy to once again try to scare
voters and distract from their failures. Under
the incompetent GOP leadership, Osama bin
Laden is still on the loose, the Taliban is
resurging in Afghanistan, our troops are
pinned down in the middle of a civil war in
Iraq, and North Korea is testing nuclear
weapons. Republicans are so afraid of their
abysmal record they can't offer one example of
what they've done to keep America safe.
This week marks Character Counts Week. The
Bush White House even issued a proclamation
encouraging “Americans to remember the
importance of good character” this week. [Whitehouse.gov,
10/13/06] Over the last five years, President
Bush and the Do-Nothing Republican Congress,
with their failed policies and rubberstamp
oversight, seem to have forgotten the
importance of the six pillars of character
celebrated by schools across the country.
President Bush reaffirms his rejection of
these key principles today as he attends
fundraisers for two ethically-challenged
Republican incumbents.
President Bush will make remarks today in
Greensboro, North Carolina, on one of his most
well-known policy failures, the No Child Left
Behind Act. Less than three weeks before
Election Day, the President’s poll numbers
remain low and his Administration’s misleading
statements about its record on education and a
host of other issues do nothing to repair his
lost credibility. From the economy to the war
in Iraq to education, the Bush White House is
floundering after years of broken promises and
failed initiatives.
Today, CNN reports that the coalition
military death toll hit 3,000 in Iraq on
Monday, including 2,759 Americans. The
coalition forces reach this tragic landmark
just days after a top British Army chief
called on Britain to withdraw its troops,
citing the foreign military presence as a
factor aggravating violence in Iraq. Democrats
reject President Bush's failed stay-the-course
strategy in Iraq and want a new direction
there that is both tough and smart.
With their poll numbers sagging and their
credibility all but evaporated three weeks
before Election Day, President Bush and Vice
President Cheney have resorted to tough talk
and fear tactics to try to distract from their
failed policies. North Korea may be preparing
for another nuclear test, thousands of Iraqi
police officers have been fired for
corruption, and the Iraqi Prime Minister has
publicly expressed his frustration with the
Bush Administration.
The Associated Press reports that two
leading Republican Senators have come out
against President Bush's failed
stay-the-course strategy in Iraq. Senator
Chuck Hagel and Senator John Warner joined the
growing number of Americans opposed to the
Administration's current strategy as sectarian
violence continues to escalate, placing
American troops in the middle. Democrats
reject President Bush's stay-the-course
strategy and want a new direction in Iraq that
is both tough and smart.
Will the President listen to his own
commission if they aren't parroting the things
he wants to hear? A commission backed by
President Bush that is exploring U.S. options
in Iraq intends to propose significant changes
in the administration's strategy...
The Associated Press reports that Britain's
top army chief called for the withdrawal of
British troops from Iraq, saying their
presence "only exacerbates security problems."
With the Bush Administration forecasting that
U.S. troop levels will remain at 141,000
through 2010, Democrats reject President
Bush's failed stay-the-course strategy and
believe we need a new direction in Iraq that
is both tough and smart.
Today the New York Times reports that
despite increases in U.S and Iraqi troop
levels, violence in Iraq hit its highest
levels in recent weeks with sectarian killings
reaching over 2,500 deaths a month. The
increase in violence has led U.S. commanders
to suggest that the U.S. may need to maintain
current troop levels of 141,000 until 2010.
Democrats reject President Bush's failed
stay-the-course strategy in Iraq and believe
that we need a new direction that is both
tough and smart.
After ignoring port security for the last
five years, today President Bush will sign the
SAFE Port Act. Five years after 9/11, the Bush
Administration and Republican leaders in
Congress still have much more work to do when
it comes to keeping our country safe. The GOP
has not only neglected port security, but
they’ve also ignored the security of our
airlines, our nuclear and chemical plants, our
railroads, critical infrastructure and
under-funded important first responder
training.
Today the Washington Post highlights a new
report that over half a million Iraqi civilian
deaths have occurred in Iraq since 2003. This
number contradicts previous Bush
Administration estimates of 30,000 Iraqi
civilian deaths. Democrats reject President
Bush's failed stay-the-course strategy and
believe we need a new direction in Iraq that
is both tough and smart.
President Bush continues to stubbornly
ignore the fact that his foreign polices have
been a failure and the Iraq War has actually
hindered our efforts in fighting the war on
terror. North Korea has increased its nuclear
capabilities by 400 percent and tested a
nuclear weapon. Iran has also become an even
greater threat. And still, the President
refuses to listen to the advice of his own
Party's leaders. Stubbornness is not a foreign
policy.
While criticizing former President
Clinton's handling of North Korea today,
Senator John McCain seemed to forget that
under President George Bush's watch, North
Korea has increased their nuclear capabilities
by 400% and tested a nuclear weapon. Under
Clinton's watch, there were no tests and no
new plutonium. McCain seems to be confused
about his own position on North Korea, since
he has criticized every potential option for
addressing the situation so far.
Today's Washington Post reports that
five years after President Bush warned of an
"axis of evil" consisting of Iraq, Iran, and
North Korea, his Administration's failed
foreign policies in Iraq have destabilized the
Middle East region and failed to stop nuclear
activities in Iran and North Korea. With the
U.S. military overextended and under-equipped
from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, President
Bush's stay the course strategy in Iraq has
not made America safer.
Today's Washington Post reports that
James A. Baker III, co-chairman of the
bi-partisan Iraq Study Group, said Sunday that
the panel would not recommend that the U.S.
stay the course in Iraq. This statement comes
days after Sen. John Warner, Chairman of the
Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the
U.S. needs to re-evaluate the current strategy
in Iraq and may need to change course.
The latest Newsweek poll shows that the
cover-up of the scandal involving disgraced
former Republican Congressman Mark Foley
“threatens to sink Republican hopes of keeping
control of Congress.”
Over the last four years, the Bush
Administration has outsourced our diplomacy
with North Korea to other nations and failed
to take the lead in making sure America
remains safe. North Korea’s announcement of
their alleged nuclear test over the weekend is
further evidence that President Bush has taken
his eye off the ball, allowing a member of the
so-called ‘axis of evil’ to allegedly test a
nuclear weapon.
Today's Washington Post reports an increase
in violence against American troops as they
stand between Sunnis and Shites in the middle
of a civil war in Iraq. The American death
toll over the last three days reached an
all-time high in Baghdad since the start of
the war.
At a time when our nation is asking great
sacrifices of our brave men and women serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new poll indicates
that too many have not received the resources
they need and were promised.
Today's USA Today reports how a dangerous
mix of unrealistic plans, a permanent
commitment to a failed stay-the-course
strategy, and misleading the public led to the
Bush Administration's bungling of the war in
Iraq, according to startling revelations from
Bob Woodward's book "State of Denial."
Democrats believe we need a new direction in
Iraq that is tough and smart.
Today, President Bush will attempt to
trumpet his Administration’s efforts to keep
our country safe. But, the record is clear:
the Bush Administration has not made homeland
security a real priority. From their inability
to secure our borders and ports, to their
failure to enact the recommendations of the
9/11 Commission, the Bush White House and
their GOP Congress have ignored vital holes in
our homeland security.
In case you haven’t yet made it through all
491 pages of Bush Administration missteps
chronicled in Bob Woodward’s new book, State
of Denial, the Senate Democratic
Communications Center put together a handy
timeline of ignored warnings and disregarded
expertise....
USA Today reports today the discovery of a
"blood soaked torture chamber" with possible
links to Iraqi security forces after U.S
troops found Interior Ministry badges and saw
Iraqi police guarding a torture site. After
spending billions of dollars training Iraqi
forces to secure Iraq, President Bush's failed
foreign policies have left it in the middle of
a civil war. Democrats believe we need a new
direction in Iraq, one that places
responsibility on the Iraqi government and
security forces to protect all Iraqi people.
Following the September 11th terrorist
attacks, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
said there was no way of predicting the
terrorist plot, yet we continue to learn about
previously undisclosed warnings. First we
learned about the now infamous "Bin Laden
Determined to Attack America" memo, and this
week we're told that Rice was warned by CIA
Director George Tenet in July 2001 of al
Qaeda's intent to attack U.S. interests. The
Bush White House is clearly concerned about
the appearance of Rice’s faulty memory, as
they issued a press release today entitled,
“The Rest Of The Story: The Rice-Tenet
Meeting.”
USA Today reports today the discovery of a
"blood soaked torture chamber" with possible
links to Iraqi security forces after U.S
troops found Interior Ministry badges and saw
Iraqi police guarding a torture site. After
spending billions of dollars training Iraqi
forces to secure Iraq, President Bush's failed
foreign policies have left it in the middle of
a civil war. Democrats believe we need a new
direction in Iraq, one that places
responsibility on the Iraqi government and
security forces to protect all Iraqi people.
According to Bob Woodward’s new book on the
Bush Administration’s bungling of the war on
terror and their failed Iraq policies, “State
of Denial,” the Bush Administration ignored
warnings of Al Qaeda attacks prior to 9/11.
Woodward chronicled how the White House
continues to hide the true number of attacks
on American soldiers in Iraq and also the
attempts to have Defense Secretary Rumsfeld
fired for his inept policies and disregard for
post-war planning in Iraq.
On Sunday, the New York Times reported that
former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
warned President Bush of the growing dangers
of the insurgency and sectarian violence in
Iraq before stepping down in 2005. Powell's
account in a new biography reinforces
assertions that President Bush and his
Republican Congress ignored the facts on the
ground in Iraq and have remained committed to
a failed stay-the-course strategy.
This week, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
delivered the Democratic Radio Address.
Today, USA Today reports that insurgent
attacks continue to escalate in Iraq as U.S.
and Iraqi troops attempt to secure Baghdad.
Reuters notes that Bob Woodward's new book
"State of Denial" says that the Bush
Administration has downplayed the violence in
Iraq and Woodward said in a "60 Minutes"
interview that attacks on U.S. soldiers are
occurring on an average of one every 15
minutes. The New York Times reports that an
inspector general told Congress this week that
the reconstruction failures in Iraq have
impeded progress to stabilize the country.
Democrats believe we need a new direction in
Iraq that values the facts on the ground and
tells the truth to the American people.
President Bush’s speech today to the
Reserve Officers Association was the fifth in
a series aimed at continuing his PR campaign
to sell his failed policies on the war on
terror. Democratic National Committee Chairman
Howard Dean called on the President to provide
a new direction in the war on terror.
The intelligence community confirms that
President Bush's war of choice in Iraq is
making us less safe at home. Today, instead of
meeting with leaders of both parties to
discuss the challenges we face in Iraq and on
homeland security, President Bush instead
chose to only meet with Republican leaders.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard
Dean called on President Bush to put
partisanship aside, and work with members of
both parties to meet the needs of our country.
The Republican-led Congress is set to go
home in one business day, leaving a number of
important legislative priorities undone and a
host of issues unresolved. After 12 years of
Republican Congressional rule, the GOP puts
politics ahead of what's good for America and
are ineffective at dealing with the problems
that American families face. It is no wonder
that Americans are fed up with Republican
leadership in Congress and now favor
Democratic control.
A new poll shows that a majority of Iraqis
support attacks on U.S. forces, have a
negative view of Osama Bin Laden, and want the
U.S. troops to leave within a year. As our
troops face increasing violence in Iraq, the
Boston Globe reports the cost of the war at 2
billion dollars a week, Democrats believe
America needs a new direction in Iraq that is
tough and smart and gets the target off of our
soldier's backs.
The Pentagon said Thursday that 3,800 U.S.
soldiers will be staying in Iraq about six
weeks beyond their one-year combat tours as
coalition forces grapple with violence in and
around Baghdad.
Today, President Bush is in Memphis,
Tennessee stumping for Republican Senate
candidate Bob Corker in hopes of sending
another Bush Republican to Congress. But,
under President Bush and his Republican
“do-nothing” Congress’ failed leadership,
progress in the war on terror...
The Republican-controlled Congress has
repeatedly blocked efforts to adequately
secure our nation's nuclear and chemical
plants, leaving millions vulnerable to the
disastrous consequences of a possible
terrorist attack.
As sectarian violence increases in Iraq, a
new poll shows a majority of Iraqis want
American troops to withdraw. As our troops
remain in the middle of sectarian violence,
conditions on the ground grow more dangerous,
and our own intelligence experts have
concluded that our presence in Iraq is fueling
the growth of global terrorism, America needs
a new direction in our Iraq policy.
The recently declassified National
Intelligence Estimate shows how the
President's war of choice in Iraq, and his
failed leadership, have fueled global
terrorism. The overall estimate is bleak. It
depicts a movement that is likely to grow more
quickly than the West's ability to counter it
over the next five years.
This week, the DNC's Podcast hosted award
winning film director Robert Greenwald. In his
interview, Greenwald discusses his newest
work, "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers," a
scathing documentary that exposes the record
profits made off the war in Iraq by private
corporations with Republican friends in
Congress and the Republican decision makers
that made it happen.
Democratic National Committee Chairman
Howard Dean issued the following statement in
response to the declassified National
Intelligence Report.
Condi Rice can parrot the President's
fantasy talking points as often as she likes.
It won't make them true. In an interview with
the NY Post she claimed the Clinton
Administration failed to leave behind a
comprehensive strategy to fight...
Leader Pelosi offered a motion earlier
designed to call Congress into a secret
session to discuss the National Intelligence
Estimate on global terrorism. According to AP:
In an interview with The Associated Press,
Pelosi, D-Calif., said the secret session
is...
President Bush's failed leadership and war
of choice in Iraq have made us less safe and
hampered our ability to fight and win the
global war on terror. Unfortunately, the Bush
Administration has repeatedly chosen to ignore
the facts when they're inconvenient.
After reports that the Iraq war has
overstretched the U.S. Army almost to the
breaking point, the Pentagon announced
yesterday that Iraq combat tours will be
extended for 3,800 more troops to deal with
increased sectarian violence around Baghdad.
Today, the New York Times reports that the
demand for U.S. troops and equipment in Iraq
has overstretched our Army, leaving troops
without the training and supplies they need.
Today, the Washington Post reports that
U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that
the war in Iraq has “become a primary
recruitment vehicle for violent Islamic
terrorists,” and has “worsened the U.S.
position” in the “global counterterrorism
struggle.”
In an interview with Fox News televised
this morning, President Bill Clinton fought
back against the right-wing misinformation and
smear campaign and stood up for the truth.
President Clinton set the facts straight on
his administration's record fighting the war
on terror. He also stood up against the Fox
News' right-wing bullying and propaganda
machine, pointing out the lack of tough
questions being posed to the current
administration.
Senator Reid: “There was a time when events
like today’s hearing were commonplace in the
halls of Congress—especially during war.
Unfortunately in this Congress—for the war in
Iraq—meaningful hearings have been few and far
between. The 109th Congress has sat...
Tammy Duckworth is the real thing: During
an election debate at the weekend in the
outskirts of Chicago, Peter Roskam, the
Republican candidate for Illinois's sixth
district, trotted out the familiar line that
his Democratic opponent wanted America to
"cut...
A must-read from the NYT: A stark
assessment of terrorism trends by American
intelligence agencies has found that the
American invasion and occupation of Iraq has
helped spawn a new generation of Islamic
radicalism and that the overall terrorist
threat...
In an interview with Fox News televised
Sunday morning, President Bill Clinton fought
back against the right wing misinformation and
smear campaign and stood up for the truth. He
set the facts straight on his record fighting
the war on terror. He also stood up against
Fox News' propaganda, inquiring about the lack
of tough questions being posed to the current
administration.
A week after Republican National Committee
Chairman Ken Mehlman vowed to supporters in an
e-mail that the RNC would "hold nothing back"
and "spend whatever it takes" to "maintain our
majorities," it's clear that Republicans
across the country will do and say just about
anything to get elected -- even resort to some
of the most insidious forms of intolerance.
In the last week alone, a Republican
candidate in Minnesota attacked his opponent's
faith, young conservatives in Michigan are
running dangerous and divisive "Catch an
Illegal Immigrant" and "Fun With Guns" events,
and an Arizona Republican Congressional
candidate refused to demand that former KKK
Grand Wizard David Duke remove an endorsement
and a link to his campaign from Duke's website
A new UN report says that "6,599 Iraqis had
died violently in the last two months, 700
more than the previous two, making the period
the deadliest yet" while the Washington
Post reports that attacks on U.S. soldiers
have risen in Iraq's increasingly violent
environment.
On Sunday, the Washington Post
chronicled how the Bush Administration's
pattern of rewarding unqualified political
cronies with jobs has hindered the Iraqi
reconstruction efforts. These GOP allies were
given jobs based on their political service in
campaigns not their experience or expertise in
the respective areas of reconstruction
including security, health care and finance.
This is just the latest example of the Bush
Administration's continued practice of putting
their party above the needs of the American
people. Over the past five years, the White
House has installed Bush cronies in all
corners of the government, regardless of their
qualifications, with serious, sometimes
harmful consequences as a result.
Democratic National Committee Chairman
Howard Dean issued the following statement on
President Bush's address today to the United
Nations General Assembly in New York: "Today
we heard more of the same rhetoric from a
desperate President Bush who is worried...
With Iraq in civil war and a resurgence of
the Taliban in Afghanistan, Army General John
Abizaid announced yesterday that U.S troop
levels will be maintained or possibly
increased to above the current contingent of
140,000 despite the Administration's previous
assertions that troops could be reduced before
the end of 2006. To meet this new demand, the
Associated Press reports that the Army
is "under enormous strain" and the Pentagon
may have to call-up more National Guard and
Reserve troops or increase the size of the
active-duty Army.
The Republican-led Congress is set to go
home in seven work days, leaving a host of
issues unresolved. After twelve years of
Republican Congressional rule, the GOP puts
politics ahead of what's good for America.
More news of escalating violence in Iraq:
Suicide bombers killed at least 34 people in
attacks in western and northern Iraq on
Monday, underscoring the continuing violence
throughout the country as U.S. and Iraqi
forces focus on tamping down attacks...
Today, the Washington Post reports
that violence is on the rise throughout Iraq
as U.S and Iraqi forces work to stop the
sectarian violence in Baghdad. The Post
also reports that Vice President Cheney's old
company Halliburton, one of a number of
companies with close ties to the Republican
Party given no-bid contracts by the Bush
Administration to deliver services in the
reconstruction effort in Iraq, overcharged the
U.S. government, bilking millions of taxpayer
dollars resulting in massive profits for the
company.
Bush Cronies Only Need Apply: After the
fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April
2003, the opportunity to participate in the
U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted
all manner of Americans -- restless
professionals, Arabic-speaking academics,
development specialists and war-zone...
The Republican-controlled Congress is set
to go home in two weeks, leaving a number of
important legislative priorities undone and a
host of issues unresolved. After twelve years
of Republican Congressional rule, the GOP puts
politics ahead of what's good for America and
are ineffective at dealing with the problems
that American families face.
Today, the Washington Post reports
that the Bush Administration’s pattern of
rewarding unqualified political cronies with
jobs has hindered the Iraqi reconstruction
efforts.
A Democrat Rises in Virginia: From the
start, the Virginia Senate race was an
emblematic campaign for 2006: combat boots vs.
cowboy boots, in the inevitable shorthand. A
highly decorated Vietnam veteran and former
secretary of the Navy who opposed...
The CIA learned in 2002 from a high-level
member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle that
Iraq had no past or present contact with Osama
bin Laden and that the Iraqi leader considered
bin Laden an enemy. This despite President
Bush and his Administration's efforts to link
them.
One year ago today, in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, President Bush stood in
Jackson Square in New Orleans and pledged
"bold action." Hurricane Katrina was one of
the worst natural disasters in our nation's
history and the President promised to make the
communities of the Gulf Coast "even better and
stronger than before the storm."
Unfortunately, a year has passed and many of
the White House's promises have not been kept,
transportation systems are still in disrepair
and schools and hospitals face numerous
problems.
Immediately after 9/11, international
support for America was strong, on the
domestic political front, bipartisanship was
the norm, and Americans were united in their
resolve to deal with those responsible for the
9/11 attacks. After five years of failed
Republican leadership, President Bush's
go-it-alone policies have hurt our alliances
around the world, and bipartisanship has been
replaced by Republican smear campaigns.
Yesterday: The Senate Armed Services
Committee defied President Bush on Thursday,
with four Republicans joining Democrats in
approving a plan for the trial and
interrogation of terrorism suspects that the
White House has rejected as unacceptable. The
Republican rebellion was...
In the same week Americans commemo | 
