Giffords Will Work For a New Direction in U.S. Foreign Policy
TUCSON €“ Congressional candidate Gabrielle Giffords today proposed a new direction in U.S. foreign policy, offering bold strategies to confront the international challenges our country faces - the war in Iraq, North Korea’s nuclear program, and the threat of terrorism.
On Iraq, Giffords advocates a new strategy that balances two goals €“ first, a targeted plan of strategic redeployment to bring our troops home and pressure Iraq’s government to take responsibility for governance, and second, ensuring that Iraq is secure. She opposes building permanent bases in Iraq, and advocates the replacement of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense.
“While the courage of our troops embodies the best of America, the poor management of the war in Iraq embodies what is wrong with Washington today,” Giffords said. “We can’t simply ’stay the course.’ We need a Congress willing to ask the tough questions and an Administration willing to answer those questions in order to develop a plan for success.”
Giffords has a track record of supporting our troops. She served on the 162nd Air National Guard Fighter Wing Civilian Support Group, working to make sure that returning members of the Guard and Reserve got back their jobs when they returned from serving in the military.
Giffords also advocates a new policy to deal with North Korea.
While the North Korean threat was contained for years by past administrations through dialogue and engagement, President Bush’s refusal to engage with North Korea has led to a dangerous state of affairs in which the rogue nation has probably developed several nuclear weapons and has even tested one.
“President Kennedy was not afraid to talk to Khrushchev,” Giffords said. “Nixon was not afraid to talk to Mao. Reagan was not afraid to talk to Gorbachev. American leaders must always stand with confidence and advocate for our national interest. I’m concerned that under this Administration, we’ve abandoned that confident posture and retreated to a defensive crouch. North Korea’s recent nuclear test is a perfect example of what happens when we’re not focusing on strategic threats.”
Giffords also proposes a new strategy to confront the threat of terrorism.
“We must fully implement the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission,” Giffords said. “We must secure our seaports through 100% port inspections, and secure our chemical plants, nuclear plants, and airports. Additionally, we need to end our dependence on unstable regimes worldwide by focusing on renewable energy and reducing our reliance on foreign oil.”
Giffords has a strong record on homeland security and defending our nation against terrorism. In the months following 9/11, she was a sponsor of the Security Enhancement Act, legislation supported by a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats and signed into law by Republican Governor Jane Hull. The measure gave law enforcement enhanced tools to fight against terrorism, and put a new crime on the books, the “terrorism hoax,” the need for which was demonstrated last month when several false terrorist threats were called in to NFL stadiums.
