Issue Position: National Security & Foreign Policy

Issue Position

What I believe:

* America's national security is undermined by a belligerent and overreaching foreign policy.

* We should work closely with our allies to resolve global security, environmental, and health challenges via multilateral institutions such as NATO and the United Nations.

* All diplomatic options should be exhausted before military force is used.

* We should commit ourselves to rebuilding our global image worldwide; America must once again be seen as a beacon of liberty, prosperity, and respect for humanity.

* The United States should be on the ethical side of all human rights issues, actively oppose genocide wherever it occurs, and seek to strengthen international human rights law.

* The United States is above torture. Human rights must be at the center of any foreign policy and national security debate.

* We need to establish explicit rules to ensure that our detainee-treatment practices are Constitutional, respect international law, and reflect American values.

* The United States should seek to limit, control, and monitor the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The international community should state as an ultimate goal the abolition of nuclear weapons.

* Israel is a close ally of the United States whose right to exist must be actively defended.

* Absolute security is not worth the sacrifice of our fundamental liberties; the government should not be free to detain and spy on U.S. citizens without warrants, nor should telecommunications corporations be free to facilitate the federal government's unlawful activities without facing prosecution.

What I have done:

* Cosponsored the successful legislation of the 9/11 Commission's official recommendations, which was passed by the House within hours of the 110th Congress' commencement.

* Introduced and passed a resolution officially calling upon the warring parties in Uganda, the government of the United States, and the international community to work to peacefully resolve that country's brutal civil war.

* Voted to restrict "no-bid" defense contracts, by which politically-connected companies like Halliburton receive Pentagon contracts with no competition.

* Introduced legislation to establish a National Commission on Detainee Treatment to review United States policy regarding the capture, custody, treatment, judicial proceedings, and repatriation of suspected "unlawful enemy combatants."

* Cosponsored the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, which passed the House. It would sanction Iran for its failure to make good on its international legal commitments with regard to its clandestine nuclear program.

* Cosponsored the successful Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act, which states that it is U.S. policy to support state and local efforts to divest funds from, or restrict investments in, companies that conduct business operations in Sudan.

* Voted to increase U.S. funding for the global fight against diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, which exacerbate global poverty, pose an international health risk, and undermine the stability of entire regions.

What I will do:

* Continue to support a tough, smart foreign policy focused on the maintenance of international stability via multilateralism and diplomacy.

* Continue to vocally support universal respect for fundamental human rights.

* From my post on the Armed Services Committee, work toward our self-extrication from the senseless war in Iraq and continued development of the world's finest military to address the challenges of upcoming decades.

* Vote to commit all necessary resources to the ongoing counterinsurgency in and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

* Push for the closure of our detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

* Vote for committing the United States to the global fight against famine and disease.

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