Your (nearly) Daily Dose of Clark

Today in New Hamphire General Clark presented his 10 Pledges on the use of force in a Clark administration. They are summarized here:

1. "I pledge to all Americans that I will bring our soldiers home, with success in Iraq assured and America standing strong."
   • End the American monopoly on on exclusive control in Iraq.
   • Change the force mix to more effectively fight the war we're actually in.
   • Give the Iraqis a rising stake in our success by establishing a sovereign government and turning over power as circumstances allow.
2. "I will never ask our troops to risk the ultimate sacrfice or ask their families to pay the ultimate price of patriotism except as an absolute last resort."
   • Rebuild our alliances.
   • Make a reinvigorated NATO and European relationship the centerpiece of US policy.
   • Use diplomatic, political, economic power and international law in support of preventative engagement.
3. "I will never send American soldiers into combat without a realistic plan to win and the forces necessary for victory."
   • The current Administration failed to construct a realistic plan to win in Iraq: "you can't build a plan on hope."
4. "The statements and actions of a Clark Administration will restore America's moral authority."
   • "We are less secure when our friends suffer for standing by our side"
   • After standing by our side and straining their ties with so-called Old Europe, the Administration cut off all military assistance to several New Europe countries when they wouldn't promise blanked immunity for US soldiers from the International Criminal Court.
   • Lead the global fight against AIDS as a key part of the strategy of preventative engagement.
5. "The guiding principle of our foreign policy will be to lead, not to bully."
   • "General Eisenhower once said leadership is "persuading the other fellow to want to do what you want him to do." When America led the world for the last half century, others followed -- not because we compelled them, but because we convinced them. America needs a President who can lead."
6. "I will never challenge the patriotism of Americans who question my policies or express their disagreement."
7. "In a Clark Administration, America will always have the strongest, best-trained, best-equipped military in the world."
   • "I know the utility of a well-prepared U.S. military, and I know what it takes to make sure that the U.S. has the best military in the world."
8. "America's military will be a complement, not substitute, for diplomacy, law, and leadership in the conduct of our international affairs."
   • Establish a "Department of International Development" to focus our humanitarian and development efforts and bring the same sustained attention to solving deprivation, misery, ethinc conflict and poverty that we've brought to warfare.
9. "I pledge to use all of my experience and determination to fight the terrorists who have attacked our country, to defeat them and to work to prevent them from rising again."
   • Go after terrorists, wherever they are with a three pronged strategy
     • Create a joint US-Saudi commando force to work in the Afghan-Pakistani border area where bin Laden is probably hiding.
     • Fully utilize our intelligence and special ops personnel who are wasting time in a search for WMD in Iraq to hunt down bin Laden and destroy al Qaeda.
     • Repair our relationships with allies and rely on institutions like the UN and NATO to support our efforts.
10. "And finally, by these pledges and with your support, as President I will make America more secure than it is today."
    • "As President, I will ensure that we succeed in Iraq, that we focus our intelligence, diplomatic, financial, law enforcement and military resources on defeating al Qaeda, that we restore respect and support for America, and that we re-orient our foreign policy to meet the challenges of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, international crime, and environment threats. Taken together, all of these steps will make America more secure."

In other Clark news, the Clark Community Network is now out of Beta. Get Registered and get your own email address @forclark.com and yourname.forclark.com blog.