Al-Qaeda Stronger

New intelligence reports suggests that Al-Qaeda is growing stronger and regrouping in the tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Six years after 9/11, after hundreds of billions of dollars spent and two wars, we remain under significant threat from the group that President Bush vowed to "smoke out of their holes." The war in Iraq has no doubt contributed to this increased terrorist activity and threats. Our presence in Iraq has distracted us from the real war on terror, which was in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is where after all Al-Qaeda was based. Our own intelligence has stated that there was no operational link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. Furthermore less than 10% of the fighters in Iraq are foreign Al-Qaeda fighters. Our troops are fighting local Iraqi factions, groups unrelated to the broader war on terror.

Why then do some Democrats not paint the Republicans as soft on national security. In 2004 John Kerry lost in part because he was painted as soft and weak on terrorism. John Kerry did little to combat this notion. The Democrats must turn this myth on its head and make national security a central theme to their 2008 presidential campaign. The 2008 Democratic nominee must make it clear that Republicans have made the world more dangerous and have weakened the United States position in the world. Democrats must stand up to Republican attacks by stating clearly that Republicans have made America more vunerable to a terrorist attack. Democrats must not cower from the national security question, but own it.