Issue Position: National Security

Issue Position

Our government has no more important responsibility than keeping us safe. In Congress, I will fight to ensure that America has the most competent and well-equipped intelligence, military, and first-responder services possible. We must have the capability to identify, evaluate and eliminate threats from terrorists, rogue states, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration has taken its eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where real terrorists are regrouping. We promised that we would rebuild Afghanistan into a thriving democracy, an example in the region. We allied with Pakistan to fight the terrorists. Yet both countries slip further into chaos every day.

In the long run, our national security will depend on the economic development and political liberalization of unstable and illiberal nations around the world. We must remember that our founding ideals are universal and encourage their adoption and growth around the world.

For our long-term security, we must break our dependence on foreign oil. Our addiction to oil causes us to ally with some of the most repressive and unstable regimes on earth. Our country will not be truly secure until we have developed alternative sources of renewable energy that are under our control and that provide a reliable platform for our country's long-term prosperity.

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