McCain in New Hampshire and a Truman Revival
Two great takes that are simply good enough to pass on as is ....
Via Bull Moose ... McCain in New Hampshire:
...We have real enemies in this world, who are trying to kill us and destroy our superior way of life. Whatever our differences, we are all Americans first, last, and always. We are not enemies, but comrades in a fight against a real enemy. We are patriots, each of us trying by our own lights to make America a stronger, safer, better place. We should honor each other's service not denigrate it as unworthy......There are many, too many, fine young American boys and girls, wonderful, loving, steadfast and true, who are sacrificing their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan to defend those values and our security, and to present to the world the true image of America as a deeply idealistic country. The least, the very least, America's elected officials can do to honor their sacrifices, is to keep our partisan and personal interests where they rightly belong - subordinate to the national interest. That's what our soldiers have done. That's what most Americans do. Now it's our turn.
Via OxBlog ... from The Truman National Security Project:
The more our activists trumpet their moral cause, the more our experts avoid values-based language. Instead of harnessing strength and values together, Democrats see these forces in opposition. No wonder we can?t convince Americans that we have a principled and strong foreign policy!To regain preeminence in national security, we must reunite security and values within the Democratic worldview. This belief has birthed a movement among a new generation of Democrats. We were not scarred by Vietnam. Instead, we are jointly committed to the values that make us Democrats, and to forging a foreign policy strong enough to stop the deadly, asymmetric, ideological threat of fundamentalist terrorism. In a few months, we have become a force of hundreds through word of mouth alone. We have found many mentors among those who served in previous Democratic administrations, who also see the need for a strong and principled foreign policy. We call ourselves Truman Democrats, because we believe that Truman has much to teach us on the cusp of a new age.
Truman believed that a strong foreign policy was one that combined the traditional tools of strength with values that offered hope, justice, and opportunity at home and abroad. Through such enlightened self-interest, America gained legitimacy and power, military and diplomatic strength, the ability to secure ourselves and the ability to lead others for our joint security. This was, and is, the Democratic alternative foreign policy. This is strength, with principle.
So long as we face a real threat of terror at home, national security will remain at the top of voters? agendas. Democrats will win elections again when we can convince Americans that we value their security, and that we have a coherent, principled posture that provides a real alternative to the Republican vision. It is the time to forge a party that can lead once more. Let?s get started.