Friday, June 09, 2006

Beating the Tom-Tom for War


In today's NY Times op ed, "Plenty of Enemies to Go," Tom Friedman attempts to frame the Democrat's next election debate around persuading the country that Dems have a strategy to unite the world against islamo-totalitarians.

In other words, Dems, beat those war drums.

Spoken like a true perennial make-war-not-love neo-con, Tom Tom's advise is not worth a piddle.

My advise to Dems: Frame the debate around competence vs. incompetence; accountability to the American people vs. no accountability; promoting peace, world cooperation, and security vs. promoting fear, wars and world disunity; and, finally, implementing a progressive, forward-thinking people's agenda including fiscal responsibility; affordable health care for all Americans, a clean environment-energy policy, quality education for all Americans, adequate funding and implementation of homeland security; and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and extricating our troops from the fray.

I believe people want strong, smart leadership that keeps us safe from international strife--while it continues to respond to our very real domestic needs. Any politician who doesn't understand how frustrated people are about our inadequate health care, education, and environmental policies, to name just a few--and thinks all they have to do is talk tough on terror--needn't bother coming to the election.

TimesSelect Subscribers can read Friedman's latest op ed: here.

Non-subscribers can find a reprint at PekingDuck.

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