Resources > Guide to 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidates
October 2003
Is there a credible progressive presidential candidate to oppose George Bush in the 2004 election? AWARE examines the positions of leading Democratic candidates on issues relevant to war and racism...
WAR IN IRAQ
Lieberman, Kucinich, Gephardt, and Kerry were all serving Congressional terms when the Bush administration proposed launching a war against Iraq. Of the three, Kucinich was the only one to vote ‘No’ in the Congressional resolution authorizing the commencement of hostilities.
In a recent interview, Joseph Lieberman stated: “I supported the war. I thought it was the right thing to do. I feel the world is safer…with Saddam Hussein gone” (Radio Free Europe 08/03). Lieberman has been one of Bush’s staunchest Democratic supporters. In 1991, he was one of the cosponsors of the Congressional resolution leading to the first Gulf War.
In contrast, Dennis Kucinich stated in February as the hostilities were just commencing: "The facts are these, Iraq was not responsible for 9/11 or al Qaeda's role in 9/11 or the anthrax attacks on our country....This war is wrong." (Washington Post 2/03). He continues to remain critical of the United State’s post-war occupation of Iraq, and he is a strong advocate for the rule of international law.
Howard Dean, the former Democratic governor of Vermont, also initially opposed the war: “I opposed President Bush’s war in Iraq from the beginning. While Saddam Hussein’s regime was clearly evil…it did not present an immediate threat to U.S. security that would justify going to war” (www.deanforamerica.com). However, once the war began, he admitted: “"It's hard to criticize the president when you've got troops in the field. We all have got to support the troops" (National Review 03/03).
The civil rights activist Al Sharpton has been an outspoken and consistent critic of Bush policies. “[I]mperialistic go-it-alone military-oriented foreign policy is shortsighted, unworkable & will be too costly--in money, lives, good will, & sound international relations.” (www.thestate.com 5/03). Carol Moseley Braun has been critical of the Bush administration’s squandering of post-9-11 world-wide goodwill: “[W]e would do well to foster [international] cooperation to freeze the very ground in which extremism and terrorism festers….duct tape is no substitute for diplomacy and I believe the people can and must demand an end to the saber rattling that has made us hostages to fear" (www.selectsmart.com).
John Kerry voted ‘Yes’ on the Congressional resolution authorizing the Iraq war but, in the aftermath of the occupation, has become increasingly critical of the admnistration's militarism and shortsightedness. Like Kerry, Gephardt voted ´Yes´ to war with Iraq and, also like Kerry, he has apparently changed courses since he announced his bid for the presidency; now he accuses Bush of “chest-beating unilateralism’ and calls for renewed diplomacy and a greater role for the United Nations (www.gephardtgrassroots.com).
Wesley Clark is regarded by some as an 'anti-war' candidate. However, his remarks on this account have not been entirely consistent; at the start of the war, he stated: “[The] credibility of the United States is on the line, and Saddam Hussein has these weapons and so, you know, we're going to go ahead and do this and the rest of the world's got to get with us" (www.aaiusa.org). Furthermore, he has been accused by some of war crimes during his tenure as NATO commander during the Kosovo conflict (www.zpub.com).
PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
While occasionally styling himself as a peacemaker for the Middle East, Lieberman is in fact a strong supporter for most of the policies of the Israeli occupation. In January, Lieberman met with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and reaffirmed his belief in Israel’s right to ‘self-defense’ and conceded that, with respect to two years of violence and bloodshed, “the blame goes on the [Palestinian] terrorists” (Palestine Chronicle 01/03). He was also a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 247, which expressed solidarity with Israel in its ‘war on terrorism.’
John Kerry takes a similar position: “Israel is our ally, the only true democracy in a troubled region…America has always been committed to Israel’s independence and survival we will never waiver” (www.johnkerry.com). Gephardt easily glosses over any moral culpability on the part of the Israeli occupying forces: “We must be steadfast in our support of Israel. There is no moral equivalence between suicide bombings and defending against them” (Associated Press 06/02). Howard Dean favors a ‘two-state solution’ and admits that one criterion for true peace will be the removal of Jewish settlements from Palestinian territory. However, although he routinely calls for the ending of Palestinian violence against Israel, he does not call for the ending of Israeli violence against Palestine. He has expressed unwavering support for Ariel Sharon, and feels that the United States should ‘continue its historic special relationship with the state of Israel’ (Palestine Chronicle 08/03).
Dennis Kucinich has been strongly critical of the United States' preferential treatment of Israel: "The same humanity that requires us to acknowledge with profound concerns the pain and suffering of the people of Israel requires a similar expression for the pain and suffering of the Palestinians…If we seek to require the Palestinians, who do not have their own state, to adhere to a higher standard of conduct, should we not also ask Israel, with over a half century experience with statehood, to adhere to the basic standard of conduct, including meeting the requirements of international law?" (www.kucinich.us).
During her career as senator, Moseley Braun consistently voted in favor of pro-Israel legislation. Furthermore, in 1998 she was one of 81 signatories on a letter to President Clinton which criticized the administration for considering putting public pressure on Israel and blamed the Palestinians for derailing the peace process (aaiusa.org). Sharpton has made trips to the Middle East and advocates for more balanced United States policy and talks about the “right of Palestinians to a state” (aaiusa.org).
Wesley Clark has not spoken clearly to the Israel-Palestine conflict, although he does think Israel could show "some restraint" and calls for involving other Middle East nations such as Jordan, Egypt, and Saudia Arabia in the peace process: "[W]hat we need in the Middle East, I believe, is something stronger than the current informal bilateral relationships that work on the periphery of the struggle" (www.meetclark.com).
RACISM AND CIVIL RIGHTS
During the affirmative action case against the University of Michigan heard by the Supreme Court this year, Dennis Kucinich and Rep. Barbara Lee issued a joint statement: “Affirmative action is necessary, affirmative action is right, and affirmative action must be preserved….Affirmative action is still essential because a truly level playing field is still an elusive goal, not a reality.” (www.kucinich.us). Similarly, Howard Dean called the Supreme Court’s upholding of affirmative action “a victory for the civil rights of all Americans” (www.deanforamerican.com).
As governor of Vermont, Dean signed historic civil union legislation giving equal rights to same-sex partners. Dean advocates for universal health care legislation for those under 19 years of age. Kucinich and Moseley Braun offer more sweeping prospects for health care reform, since both favor an universal single-payer system similar to Canada’s. In a similar vein, Sharpton advocates for adding an universal health care ammendment to the constitution (www.al2004.org). Lieberman, Kerry, and Gephardt do not favor universal health care, and they continue to tie coverage to the workplace. Wesley Clark's health care policy is not entirely clear yet, although he apparently does not favor a single payer plan: "We can never ensure that every one has the same education, or health care, or retirement security, nor would we want to do so" (www.meetclark.com).
Al Sharpton has spent his entire career in the civil rights movement and, as his record demonstrates, has probably the clearest commitment to anti-racism work of any Democratic candidate. Carol Moseley Braun is endorsed by the National Organization of Women and the National Women’s Political Caucus.
Kerry, Gephardt, and Lieberman also have an ambiguous relationship to other civil rights issues such as affirmative action. In 1995, for instance, Lieberman called affirmative action programs “inconsistent with the law and basic American values of equal treatment and opportunity." Wesley Clark seems to support affirmative action, although this is not a central issue for him.
CANDIDATE WEB SITES
Wesley Clark: www.clark04.com
Howard Dean: www.deanforamerica.com
Dick Gephardt: www.dickgephardt2004.com
John Kerry: www.johnkerry.com
Dennis Kucinich: www.kucinich.us
Joseph Lieberman: www.joe2004.com
Carol Moseley Braun: www.moseley-braun.org
Al Sharpton: www.al2004.org
VOTING RESOURCES
Arab American Institute: aaiusa.org
Common Dreams: www.commondreams.org
Counterpunch: www.counterpunch.org
Global Stewards: www.globalstewards.org
SelectSmart: selectsmart.com/president
A.W.A.R.E
www.anti-war.net
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