BY TAYLOR MARSH
For decades, the Democrats have been taking heat from conservatives, Republicans
and the wingnut fringe about our strength on national security and foreign policy,
but most particularly when it comes to the military. Bush has changed much of
that, helped along by the Democratic veterans who now hold court in Congress.
An interesting subtext to John McCain’s defeat last week is what it
means for the future of the Republican Party with respect to veterans and
military voters. With McCain facing a diminished role in the GOP, and Chuck
Hagel retiring from the Senate, there are few prominent Republican leaders
left with military bona fides. This is in stark contrast to the Democratic
Party, which has seen the emergence of a new generation of veteran leaders.[...] Now, it will be up to a Democratic president to rebuild a military
that has been pushed to the breaking point by a Republican. …Domestically, the party that rushed us into war in Iraq has abandoned the
needs of veterans here at home. It was a Democratic senator, Jim Webb of Virginia,
who led the successful fight against the Bush Administration for a new GI
Bill. It has been Democrats who have fought to expand health benefits for
veterans, improve access to health care for reservists, and cut through the
red tape at the VA.The success of Democratic veteran candidates has reinforced this trend. This
new generation of leaders is making its mark on the Democratic Party and changing
the conventional wisdom on political support among veterans and military voters.
…
Of course, it was always GOP propaganda that Democrats weren’t strong on national
security and “didn’t support our troops,” but that was the Republican
line and they were sticking to it.
Then came the Iraq invasion, occupation and subsequent implosion of commander
in chief competency under George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, but also Colin Powell
and Condoleezza Rice. Seriously, few national security advisors can claim they
did nothing after reading a PDB that screamed “Bin Laden Determined to
Attach Inside U.S.” Rice also never submitted the Marshall type plan for
Afghanistan when the National Security Council was under her command (source
Descent into Chaos, pg. 137), though Rice’s colossal ineptitude
spans across years. As for Mr. Powell, not only did he make the final case at
the U.N., but prior to 9/11, when Bush first came into office, according to
Ahmed Rashid’s sources, Colin Powell was “aloof from the entire policy
review, showing little interest” in al Qaeda, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
To her credit, at least Rice ordered a policy review. All Bush, Cheney, et al.
wanted to do was trash Clinton. As has become part of history, Richard Clarke presented
a 13-page document for Rice, who was incoming national security advisor at the
time, but little was done. South Asia was not Bush’s priority. On the Dick Cheney front, no one abused the word “national security” more than he, even feeling it important to out a cover C.I.A. agent working on nuclear proliferation. When it comes to national security, it’s been mostly politics with the current president’s team. Even with Colin Powell’s personal step forward for Obama, there can be little doubt that many of these Republicans desperately want to separate themselves, but also their political party, from all things Bush-Cheney.
Republican
incompetence on national security matters has led to the near collapse
of our force structure due to horrific policies that have our troops so overstretched
that it puts whatever Obama hopes to do in jeopardy.
…and we haven’t even ventured into the wholesale destruction of our diplomatic prowess under this Republican administration.
President Obama won’t have a moment to rest on the progress Democrats have made with the military, but also national security. He will
have to immediately rebuild our forces, the Army, but particularly the National
Guard by restoring equipment and its readiness, but also preparing our soldiers
for the 21st century battles ahead. Given what has been done under the Republicans
that will be a very big job. But at least their incompetence is now a huge part of history, too.
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