Thursday, February 7, 2008

Huckabee's View on Defense

TPatton
Period 3
“Our history, from the snows of Valley Forge to the flames of 9/11, has been one of perseverance. I understand the threats we face today. When I am president, America will look this evil in the eye, confront it, defeat it, and emerge stronger than ever. It is easy to be a peace lover; the challenging part is being a peacemaker.” –Mike Huckabee

Republican candidate Mike Huckabee has clearly defined his motives concerning foreign policy in regards to military defense. Throughout his entire campaign, Huckabee remains loyal to the idea that the first and foremost concern for our country’s safety lies in the subduing of all forms of terrorist possibilities. Huckabee feels that increasing the military’s budget and adding more troops to the army and marines will help us achieve this goal. Also, maintaining control over terrorist supporting Cuba is necessary in squashing the attempts of any terrorist group. Huckabee hopes to help the citizens of the United States not live in fear of another terrorist attack like that of 9/11 by accomplishing these goals as quickly as possible. “I believe that we are currently engaged in a world war. This war is not a conventional war, and these terrorists are not a conventional enemy,” Huckabee stated, “I will fight the war on terror with the intensity and single-mindedness that it deserves.”

Huckabee says his main concern regarding foreign policy is to stifle any terrorist threats that may arise by gaining control over Al Qaeda, removing the tools terrorists need to succeed, enlarging our army and defense budget, and set up a stable government in Middle Eastern countries. Huckabee stated, “My administration will recognize that the United States' main fight today does not pit us against the world but pits the world against the terrorists.” In order to fight this terrorist war, Huckabee feels we must first know our enemy and what makes them “tick”. He feels that the Islamic terrorist groups recognize the sin around them and strive to correct the “pure” Islam based in the early centuries, even if that means taking lives. The first answer to this problem is that “we must destroy existing terrorist groups and then attack the underlying conditions that breed them: the lack of basic sanitation, health care, education, jobs, a free press, fair courts -- which all translates into a lack of opportunity and hope. The United States' strategic interests as the world's most powerful country coincide with its moral obligations as the richest. If we do not do the right thing to improve life in the Muslim world, the terrorists will step in and do the wrong thing.” In order to abolish this terrorism, Huckabee believes that we must first expand our human intelligence and armed forces. He hopes to increase our army by 92,000 troops in the next 2-3 years and enlarge our military budget in order to pay for new military training facilities and personnel…“When the Cold War ended, we cut back our human intelligence, just as we cut back our armed forces, and these reductions have come back to haunt us. I will strengthen both.” Huckabee is also a firm believer in the Powell Doctrine, which is based on a series of questions that should be asked before engaging in any military endeavor, and would stick by it if he should have to coordinate a military action. The questions include: Is a vital national security interest threatened? Do we have a clear attainable objective? Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted? and Have the consequences of our action been fully considered? Currently, we are using 3.9% of our gross domestic product (GDP), which is the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country, on defense related issues, but Huckabee wishes to raise it up to 6% within the next few years. Raising taxes is not the answer to this financial crisis though, “I will limit increases in other discretionary spending and rely on the normal increase in federal tax revenue that is generated annually as Americans' incomes rise.”

Huckabee, Mike. "National Security/Foreign Policy: War on Terror." Mike Huckabee for President. 5 February 2008. http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=20

According to an essay in Foreign Affairs magazine, Huckabee thinks our armed forces should remain in Iraq and fight; however he also feels that we should begin proceeding into Pakistan as well. He feels that, as of right now, Pakistan is the leading nation in harboring terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and that setting up a more secure democratic government is the answer. Extremists currently lead the country and Huckabee hopes to replace them with moderates by helping and supporting them any way we can. By continuing to supply schools, food, and medical aid, we can help the country not resort to terrorist acts and give them a chance to make something of their lives. Huckabee stated, “We have wasted money on counterterrorism that has not happened and spent precious little on projects to win hearts and minds.”

Huckabee, Mike. "America's Priority in the War on Terror." Foreign Affairs. January 2008. 5 February 2008. http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080101faessay87112-p10/michael-d-huckabee/america-s-priorities-in-the-war-on-terror.html

Another country that Huckabee feels must be watched closely is Cuba. When he is President, he plans to continue the pursuit of condemnation against any Cuban officials responsible for crimes against U.S. citizens. Huckabee also supports the efforts to bring to justice any American fugitive criminals receiving safe haven in Cuba. Since Cuba is a pro-terrorist nation, he wants to enforce the Libertad Act and help the Cubans set up a stable and effective democratic government. Huckabee’s overall feeling toward military defense is this, “As President, I will fight this war hard, but I will also fight it smart, using all our political, economic, diplomatic, and intelligence weapons as well as our military might.”

Huckabee, Mike. "Cuba Policy." Mike Huckabee for President. 5 February 2008. http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=27

Other Sources:
"Gross Domestic Product." Wikipedia. 2008. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.. 5 Feb 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gdp.

"Powell Doctrine." Wikipedia. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.. 5 Feb 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell_doctrine.


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