National Security

One of the most important responsibilities for members of the US Senate is to work with the President to protect our country and our people.  America and its allies around the world have a powerful array of tools -- military, economic, diplomatic, financial, and cultural -- to deploy in the defense of our values:  peace, liberty, democracy, free markets, and human rights. 

One of my goals in the Senate will be to encourage progress by integrating the elements of American power -- hard and soft -- and encourage a smarter deployment of that power. 

• Iraq:  The decision to wage this war of choice was extremely unwise.
  • The Bush administration falsely conflated Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks and was wrong about Iraq having WMDs.
  • The Iraq war unnecessarily diverted resources from Afghanistan when Al Qaeda and the Taliban were on the run and nearing defeat.
  • It strained our relationships with our allies and lowered America’s standing in the world.
  • The tragedy of that decision has come in the terrible loss of many brave American military personnel, in the deaths of countless Iraqi civilians, and in the waste of hundreds of billions of American taxpayer dollars.
  • I support the safe, orderly, and swift completion of the drawdown in Iraq.
• Afghanistan.  I supported the Bush Administration's decision to use US forces in Afghanistan to depose the Taliban regime, and to pursue, capture, and if necessary, kill bin Laden and other Al Qaeda operatives. 
  • The Bush administration failed to make Afghanistan its top priority, diverting vital resources from the effort just when Al Qaeda was on the run.
  • I support President Obama’s surge as the least-bad option remaining after inheriting a deteriorating situation from the Bush administration. 
  • I support a definitive target date to begin the drawdown of American troops.
• Pakistan:  Pakistan is an integral part of the Afghan-Pakistani strategic equation.  The rugged tribal areas in which bin Laden and Al Qaeda may be hiding lie on both sides of the border.
  • I support the President’s efforts to ensure the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
  • President Obama’s increased use of unmanned Predator drones has killed numerous terrorists over the past year.   I support the use of these drones as part of a comprehensive strategy against Al Qaeda.
• Disrupting, Dismantling, and Defeating Global Terrorism.
  • Afghanistan and Pakistan are not the only countries that serve as training grounds and home to terrorist groups.  Yemen and Somalia are examples of largely lawless failed states harboring groups that would harm our country and our people. 
  • I support President Obama's comprehensive approach to defeating terrorism.  That approach involves mobilizing and wielding all of America's power, hard and soft; strengthening and using our alliances vigorously; and standing firmly for our country's core values.