Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

Fred Hiatt
10/4/2010

The cause for democracy seems to be growing weaker as dictatorial regimes succeed in exporting their brand of government. With democracy on the defensive, President Obama’s pro-democracy speech to the UN General Assembly wherein he spoke of standing up for “universal values” and “for the freedom of others” was indicative of a commitment to the cause of democracy. The president’s upcoming trip to Asia is intended to flesh out his rhetoric, but time will show whether Obama’s actions follow his words. Heretofore the Obama administration has not made a strong stand for democracy in foreign affairs, and the administration’s stance on the war in Afghanistan–namely, that Afghanistan can never be a real democracy and that the war was never about freedom for the Afghan people–undermines Obama’s current message.

Hiatt is the editorial page editor of The Post.

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Kimberley A. Strassel
10/1/2010

While the Obama White House is getting gripes from party members about how its agenda may cost Democrats the House or even the Senate, this fall, come Nov. 3, the bigger criticism may be the extent to which the White House has cost Democrats their grip on the electoral map–not just this cycle but for some time to come. Republican gains on the state level could change the political map for years to come. This is more humiliating for Democrats because the Republican Party had indeed lost its way. With each election the GOP resorted more to rallying a shrinking base. Had the president abided by his own campaign rhetoric–to act as a consensus-oriented bridge-builder–the GOP would have struggled to change the dynamic.

Strassel writes ‘Potomac Watch’ for the Journal.

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Mackubin Owens
10/1/2010

The strain of a prolonged conflict has led some military officers to believe they’re better than the society they’re serving, warns Owens. The lack of trust between the civilian leadership and the military has its most detrimental effect on strategy making and military effectiveness. Success in today’s conflicts requires healthy civil-military relations. The good news is the new military tandem in place in the aftermath of Gen. McChrystal’s sacking–commander of US Central Command Gen. Mattis and Afghanistan commander Gen. Petraeus–understands the importance of professionalism and trust in fostering healthy civil-military relations.

Owens is professor of national security affairs at the US Naval War College in Newport, RI, and editor of the journal Orbis.

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David S. Broder
9/30/2010

Gallup poll research by the political group Third Way is helping to explain why more Americans since 1992 are identifying themselves as conservative and the number of those who call themselves liberal is decreasing. Assuming voter turnout rates similar to 2008 and assuming Democratic candidates will carry the same national popularity as Obama, Third Way predicts that it is moderate voters who will determine the fate of the Democratic majority in 2010. Building on Third Way’s research, Broder concludes that there simply are not as many liberal votes to be won this election.

Broder is a twice-weekly columnist for The Post, writing on national politics.

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Steve Moore
9/29/2010

Blame Congress, not presidents Bush or Obama, for our perilous fiscal situation, says Moore. A strong case can be made that the people most responsible for the gigantic deficits we face today are the House and Senate Majority Leaders Pelosi and Reid. Congress controls the purse strings. When Pelosi and Reid rose to their present jobs in January 2007, the deficit was $161 billion. It had been on a downward trajectory from $413 billion in 2004. Three years later, the Pelosi-Reid Congress had added $1.2 trillion to the deficit. Of course, Bush sponsored or signed many of these deficit-raising bills, such as the bank bailouts and effective tax rebates of 2008. But the Democratic Congress passed them.

Moore is senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal editorial page.

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Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
9/29/2010

Inflicted on us relentlessly since the 1970s, the most mischievous and misleading trope in American politics is the idea that our energy supplies are in danger, that foreigners are out to get us, that a crisis is upon us. The endless invocation of an alleged energy crisis is used to sell deep-water drilling because it’s used to sell everything, writes Jenkins. We seem to get all the oil we want at a price we’re willing to pay. For three decades our economy enjoyed one of its greatest boom periods ever–a boom that ended, ironically, not because of oil shortages but because of overspending on giant houses far from town by people happily conditioned by the ubiquity and affordability of their energy supplies. Yet by properly pricing the risks of a deep-water blowout, we’re likely to get much safer drilling.

Jenkins writes Business World for the Journal.

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