NATIONAL SECURITY
A New Progressive Direction

Editor's Note: This is the first in our three-part series on "Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President." 

The disastrous foreign policies of the Bush years have created an opening for the new administration to show that progressive ideas are better able to secure and protect America in the 21st century. A joint project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund the New Democracy Project released a new book entitled Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President, which contains a series of innovative and necessary proposals to change direction on a range of policy issues confronting the United States. The section dealing with national security suggests ways in which we can better secure our homeland and frustrate the efforts of America's enemies abroad.  It also re-conceptualizes national security to include issues such as global poverty and development, noting that radical ideologies often take root in environments of insecurity and deprivation. Importantly, it recognizes that developing and implementing these new policies will require repairing America's image in the world, reestablishing American leadership seven years after President Bush arrogantly declared "either you're with us, or you're with the terrorists."

CONTAINING THE IRAQ FALLOUT: The invasion of Iraq was an attempt to deal with a 21st century problem -- amorphous networks of transnational terrorists -- using 20th century methods such as "shock and awe." The cost in lives and treasure as well as to America's reputation has been enormous. In one chapter of Change for America entitled Containing The Terrorist Threat, Jessica Stern, a former director at the National Security Council, writes that "the new president will inherit a system still oriented toward meeting threats that emerge from...static national powers, rather than transnational groups." Stern notes that an unfortunate side-effect of the Iraq war is "the excellent training the insurgents have received...against the best equipped military in the world." Stern proposes working with Iraq's neighboring states "to prepare a strategy for dealing with the inevitable 'blowback' from the Iraq war," such as foreign fighters returning to establish networks in their home countries. "Efforts should be put in place now to monitor the movement of insurgents who leave Iraq," Stern writes. "This will require both bilateral and multilateral intelligence efforts, with special emphasis on inevitable efforts by the Islamist extremists to set up virtual training camps on the Internet and seek financing and recruits online."

SUSTAINABLE SECURITY: Confronting future threats before they emerge requires more than the relentless application of military force, it requires addressing the economic and humanitarian issues that create the conditions from which threats arise. In the chapter Reducing Global Poverty Is A Moral And Security Imperative, Gayle Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, notes that "the risk of war increases in direct proportion to the levels of poverty." Smith proposes creating "a new U.S. Global Economic Development Agency -- an independent, cabinet-level agency focused on global poverty alleviation goals...building capable states [and] creating the conditions under which social entrepreneurship and open societies can thrive." Smith also suggests that the president look for ways to coordinate private and public sector activities, to "use U.S. assistance to seed innovation, and to leverage U.S. aid in support of new development models...The new president can use a variety of policy tools and resources to encourage greater innovation and experimentation, as well as foster cross-sector partnerships between social enterprises, corporations, philanthropists, and government."

RE-ESTABLISHING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP: Because the partnership of the international community is essential for global security, the United States must seek to repair its image and restore its leadership role in the world. This means more than simply doing better public relations; it means developing better policies that don't alienate America's friends, or needlessly provoke America's foes. But better public diplomacy is key to bringing about the international cooperation that is required to manage shared global security concerns. In the chapter, Public Diplomacy Can Help Restore Lost U.S. Credibility, Doug Wilson, a former senior adviser at the United States Information Agency, writes that "to be effective, public diplomacy must help U.S. policymakers communicate U.S. values and motives to shape foreign policy understanding and then integrate foreign public opinion into the policymaking process in order to help realize our national security and foreign policy goals." The new administration should "determine how best to build upon historically successful approaches -- such as educational and cultural exchange programs -- with 21st-century strategies and communication tools." 

Under the Radar

ECONOMY -- FIRMS RECEIVING FEDERAL FUNDS STILL PREPARED TO GIVE OUT HUGE BONUSES: A new report by Johnson and Associates, an executive compensation consulting firm, find that Wall Street firms will continue to distribute millions of dollars in bonus checks this December, even those that are participating in the Treasury bailout. Though the bonuses will likely be smaller than last year's, there will still be "thousands of people who make millions of dollars," Alan Johnson of Johnson and Associates said. The report found that "thanks in part to the financial bailouts and mergers we've seen recently, the decline in incentive payments won't be as drastic as first thought." For example, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are accepting $20 billion in taxpayer dollars under the bailout plan but have set aside a combined $11 billion for bonuses. One former investment banker told ABC News that "it was like putting taxpayer money in your left pocket and paying bonuses from your right pocket." Though congressional leaders had promised that limits on executive compensation would be a priority in the bailout bill, ABC News points out the $700 billion rescue plan only addresses the compensation of a firm's top five executives and doesn't even put limits on that pay. Rather, the bill "states that any salary above $500,000 for these five executives will not be tax deductible for the company," a move seen as "largely symbolic."

RADICAL RIGHT -- McCAIN TO CAMPAIGN FOR CHAMBLISS AFTER DECRYING HIS SMEAR TACTICS: Last week Sen. Saxby Chambliss's (R-GA) campaign announced that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) would be campaigning for Chambliss in Georgia's runoff senate election. McCain's involvement is surprising given his previous denouncement of Chambliss's campaign tactics. In 2002, Chambliss ran against former senator Max Cleland, who was lost three limbs in Vietnam. During the race, Chambliss released an ad that portrayed the war veteran as lacking the "courage" to confront terrorism. The ad juxtaposed images of both Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein to Cleland's voting record in the Senate. Asked his opinion of the ad, McCain said, "I'd never seen anything like that ad. Putting pictures of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden next to the picture of a man who left three limbs on the battlefield -- it's worse than disgraceful. It's reprehensible." Tomorrow, however, McCain will campaign and fundraise for Chambliss, who is now running against another Vietnam veteran, Jim Martin.

CONGRESS -- REPORT: LIEBERMAN THE PROGRESSIVE WHO LOST HIS WAY: Yesterday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined other top Democrats in saying that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) should remain in their caucus. "Despite what Sen. Lieberman did in campaigning for Sen. McCain, speaking at the Republican convention, he has voted with the Democrats an overwhelming percentage of the time," Durbin said. While Lieberman has supported progressive policies in the past, including advocating on behalf of the environment and civil rights, his recent record demonstrates that he's a progressive no more. In a new report, the Progress Report documents Lieberman's significant shift to the right in both foreign and domestic policy in recent years. Lieberman now favors offshore drilling, opposes raising the capital gains tax, defended Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) right-wing health care and Social Security proposals, and refused to condemn waterboarding as torture. Lieberman faces a crucial Nov. 18 meeting of Senate Democrats at which he is expected to plead his case for retaining the chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee. The Democratic caucus will vote on the matter next week.

Think Fast

Yesterday, Barack Obama's transition chief John Podesta unveiled "the strictest, the most far-reaching ethics rules of any transition team in history." "I've heard the other complaint, which is we're leaving all this expertise on the side, because we're leaving all the people who know everything out in the cold. And so be it," Podesta said.

A new poll from CNN/Opinion Research Corp finds that "59 percent of those questioned said Democratic control of both the executive and legislative branches will be good for the country." Furthermore, 62 percent said they have a "favorable opinion" of the Democratic party, while 54 percent said they have “an unfavorable view of the GOP."

80 percent: "African-Americans questioned in [the] CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey [who] said that Obama's election was a dream come true," compared with 28 percent of whites who shared that sentiment. Seventy-one percent of African-Americans also said "they never thought a black candidate for president would get elected in their lifetime."

"President-elect Obama has hired former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn to help shepherd his Pentagon transition."

Just days after right-wing blogger John Hinderaker counseled Barack Obama to be as careful with his words as George W. Bush, the President said he "regrets saying some things I shouldn't have said." Bush added, "My wife reminded me that, hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say." More »

About 30 percent -- or 90,000 -- of the Alaska votes that will decide the fate of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) haven’t been counted. Stevens leads Democrat Mark Begich by 3,257 votes.

"A number of influential congressional Democrats oppose keeping Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and CIA Director Michael V. Hayden in their posts because both have publicly supported controversial Bush administration policies on interrogation and telephone surveillance." Though these Democrats say a "consensus" has been formed about the matter, Obama transition officials say no decision has been made.

On Friday, the leaders of 19 nations will meet in Washington for an "emergency economic summit," but despite being invited, President-elect Barack Obama will not be in attendance and "will not meet and of the leaders separately." Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs explained, "We firmly believe there is only one president at a time."

And finally: Sweet nibblets! Malia and Sasha Obama may get the chance to appear on "Hannah Montana." The stars of the popular Disney show, Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley, have made it clear that there is an open invitation to the girls to appear as guests whenever they would like. The two Obama girls have expressed interest in entering showbiz one day, and Cyrus has said that they are "kind of like me before I started my own career. You are kind of put in it because [of] their dad and because of my dad."

Good News

"The Obama administration will launch a review of the classified files of the approximately 250 detainees at Guantanamo Bay immediately after taking office, as part of an intensive effort to close the U.S. prison in Cuba."

State Watch

CONNECTICUT: Gay couples to start marrying today.

MASSACHUSETTS: Nearly 600 fewer Massachusetts residents have died from heart attacks each year since the 2004 smoking ban.

CALIFORNIA: Twenty percent of Bay Area homeowners are "under water," owing more on their mortgages than their houses are worth.

Blog Watch

THINK PROGRESS: Right-wing radio host Laura Ingraham rails against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), tells California: ‘Just secede already.'

WONK ROOM: Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL): SCHIP is 'one of the most divisive issues.'

TPM ELECTION CENTRAL: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) lends his name to fear-mongering documentary on American Muslims and terrorism.

CONSCIENCE OF A LIBERAL: If the economic stimulus is too big, "it does much less harm than if it's too small."

Daily Grill

COURIC: Do you consider yourself a feminist?
PALIN: I do. A feminist who believes in equal rights.
-- Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), 9/30/08

VERSUS

WILLIAMS: Governor, are you a feminist?
PALIN: I'm not going to label myself anything, Brian.
-- Palin, 10/23/08

VERSUS

"You know, I consider myself, too, as a feminist, whatever that means."
-- Palin, 11/11/08