Foreign Policy
Key components of my International Relations and Foreign Policy platform:
1. Give our troops the necessary tools to do their job and keep them safe while looking for an expeditious exit strategy from Iraq and Afghanistan.
2. Seek oversight and better coordination of intelligence gathering capabilities.
3. Continue to support the state of Israel.
4. Improve our relationship with countries around the world through the State Department.
5. Remain an active participant in the United Nations.
6. Recognize and prepare for the multi-faceted dilemmas at the global scale.
7. Maintain an ever vigilant campaign of Homeland Security including support of the main components of the Patriot Act while guaranteeing our civil liberties
The 14th Congressional District has been too long represented by a man who believes that isolationism will make us safe while refusing to establish a cooperative relationship with the global community.
After six years of an attempt to stabilize Iraq it is time for us to determine an exit strategy expeditiously. Regardless of potentially flawed intelligence, the Iraqi people are now free to decide for themselves how to proceed with their future and we must turn it over to them in the very near future. However, Ron Paul continues to insist that the world will leave us alone if we’ll just leave them alone. This is both naive and very dangerous. Despite his insistence that it is simply a non-interventionist philosophy, it is in fact an isolationist viewpoint that he erroneously and shamefully plays as a patriotic message by quoting our Founding Fathers. This stance is dangerous to our very sovereignty. Once again, his philosophical position comes before the people as he has put our very troops in harm's way as he voted against protective armor needed for personnel and military vehicles.
As your Congressman my philosophy will never come before supporting the young people who put themselves on the line for our country.
At the foundation of all responsibilities the federal government must provide is security for its citizens. We can no longer afford an approach to foreign policy from our leaders that fail to recognize the real dangers that exist in the world. Our security today is no longer a simple good guys and bad guy’s world. War is not inevitable, yet the problems that cause war are. Understanding the broad range of issues that the entire world faces will only help us make more intelligent decisions as a state actor. It is essential that in the world of today, that our leaders have a clear understanding of international relations and seeing the world for what it is and not what they wish it were. We absolutely must continue to re-build our diplomatic relationships around the world today.
Having traveled to the Middle East, Europe, South and East Asia, and Northern Eurasia I have found people have a great admiration for Americans. Despite strategic mistakes that might have been made in our attempts to keep America safe, we remain the number one destination of immigrants throughout the world. We must work to address the often times inaccurate perceptions of the role and intentions of U.S. policies fully. Despite the difficulties that President Obama faces on the international stage it is inevitably clear that he has improved our position in the eyes of the global community. I would specifically work to place an emphasis on improving our State Department and in particular the Civilian Response Corps to facilitate better relations with the people of other nations.
As a member of Congress I will work hard to support a more streamlined approach within the intelligence community by working to ensure that the Pentagon, State Department, NSA, CIA, and FBI work in a more coordinated effort. One of those priorities will be to improve communication and potentially reduce spending through a complete analysis that holds these vital components accountable. Our inability to coordinate intelligence was significant in the failings that led to 9/11.
Despite the weakness as a true peacekeeping organization; we must continue to be leaders within the United Nations. Pulling out as my opponent suggests would do nothing but continue the myth that the United States is not interested in the rest of the world. The backlash from this would be a very dangerous alliance system, the likes we haven’t seen since WWII. We must work within the system if we expect it to change.
