Democrats' New War Strategy Revealed Exclusive Memo drafted by White House Chief of Staff

Submitted by Anna on Thu, 04/01/2010 - 08:40

Karen Plateau
April 1, 2010

A memo drafted last week by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel recommends a shift in strategy for Democrats discussing wars and the military. Emmanuel urges Democrats to claim credit for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and points out that shortly before this November’s congressional elections, Democratic congresses will have funded and overseen more of the Iraq War than Republicans.

Some excerpts from the memo, addressed to Democratic members of Congress, follow:

“Democratic presidents, historically, have engaged in war more than Republicans, and yet we have always been denied the credit. Only by claiming ownership of the current wars can we take away Republicans’ advantage on national security. The Republicans will not argue that wars make us less secure even if the wars belong to Democrats. They will cheer for the wars even if the wars belong to us. But no one will cheer for us if we speak about wars as activities we engage in with reluctance. ...”

Read the Rest Here