John Edwards Slams GWOT
23 May 2007 10:47 am by Taylor Marsh
John Edwards Slams GWOT updated
Look out, Terror Guy
is liable to throw a tantrum!
But pay very close attention. This is the very definition of leadership. It is something in
very short supply right now.
But by stepping up front and directly confronting the Republican talking point
“global war on terror,” John Edwards is not only doing something unique,
but also politically dangerous. It's the embodiment of courage. He dares to walk into the breach of abject silence on a
“bumper sticker slogan” that has helped keep George W. Bush and the
Republicans in power, though it has crippled American foreign policy for years.
It's the one talking point that has become impolitic to take on, because the
charge that follows immediately is “soft on terrorism.” But today
Edwards didn't flinch.
Democrat John Edwards Wednesday repudiated the notion that there is a “global
war on terror,” calling it an ideological doctrine advanced by the Bush
administration that has strained American military resources and emboldened
terrorists.In a defense policy speech he planned to deliver at the Council on Foreign
Relations, Edwards called the war on terror a “bumper sticker” slogan
Bush had used to justify everything from abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison to
the invasion of Iraq.“We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission
focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for
discredited ideological purposes,” Edwards said in remarks prepared for
delivery. “By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap
the terrorists have set—that we are engaged in some kind of clash of
civilizations and a war on Islam.”(snip)
But Edwards saved his toughest words for the Bush administration, whom he
accused of engaging in wrongheaded military adventures while abandoning U.S.
“moral leadership” in the world. Because of the administration's
poor stewardship, Edwards said troops were exhausted, overworked, and potentially
ill-prepared for future threats.“Leading the military out of the wreckage left by the poor civilian
leadership of this administration will be the single most important duty of
the next commander in chief,” Edwards said.
Edwards didn't just “move past” the GWOT talking point. He obliterated
it. He said to the world that in an Edwards presidency the easy phrase, the
slogan, the “bumper sticker” wouldn't be the way foreign policy would
be run. Edwards is signaling 21st century leadership. By walking beyond the
“global war on terror” talking point is to not only understand the complexities of the situation we're in today, but to also accept what General Myers said so long ago.
General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the National
Press Club on Monday that he had “objected to the use of the term 'war
on terrorism' before, because if you call it a war, then you think of people
in uniform as being the solution.”He said the threat instead should be defined as violent extremism, with the
recognition that “terror is the method they use.”
Leaving behind the “global war on terror” talking point is also the only way to win back America's image and prestige, the very honor we've lost during Bush's presidency. There can be no doubt after today that John Edwards understands this all too well and he's ready to do something about it, which is really what matters in the end. To see someone actually leading, taking a chance, after what we've seen out of the Democrats this week is heartening. It's about time someone did something serious.
UPDATE: Here's the text of the full Edwards speech at the Council on Foreign Relations.
