It is imperative that America:

• Capture and kill terrorist leaders, particularly Osama bin Laden, who still remains at large;
• Build strong and effective alliances to combat the terrorist threat and prevent future attacks;
• Eliminate terrorist sanctuaries this Administration helped create in Iraq and finish the job in Afghanistan;
• Secure existing stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, eliminate the transnational networks that sell these technologies to the highest bidder, and ensure that they never fall into the hands of terrorists;
• Transform our military and intelligence capabilities to more effectively detect and respond to the terrorist threat; and
• Support an empowerment agenda to reduce corruption, increase education, strengthen public institutions, expand trade, and support democratic reform in the Muslim world.

In the five years since 9/11, this administration's approach to the Global War on Terror has been a failure and has left America less safe than it should be by

• Leaving the job unfinished in Afghanistan, allowing Osama bin Laden to escape, and permitting a resurgent Taliban to threaten a fledgling Afghan government;
• Allowing a bloody insurgency to expand into a sectarian civil war in Iraq, thereby diverting resources and attention from the broader counterterrorism effort while allowing the terrorists an opportunity to develop new tactics and recruit new adherents;
• Failing to adapt as al Qaeda morphed into a broader decentralized movement with new freelance terrorist cells emerging around the world;
• Fighting the establishment of the 9/11 Commission, resisting its conclusions, and failing to implement its recommendations to make America more secure against terrorist attacks; and
• Dramatically diminishing America's global image and moral authority by sanctioning torture.

POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS

The threat represented by al Qaeda and its affiliates when combined with weapons of mass destruction is the single greatest near-term challenge to the safety and security of the American people. Combating this threat requires the careful and deliberate application of all aspects of American power: military, law enforcement, public diplomacy, finance, intelligence, homeland security, and non-proliferation efforts. America must take the following steps

Work closely with America's allies to combat the terrorist threat and prevent future attacks. Combating terrorism on a global basis is a task beyond the capability of any one nation. Committed allies and friends are essential. Since 9/11, cooperation with allied and friendly intelligence services to identify, track, and prosecute key members of jihadi groups has been painfully inadequate, due in large measure to the frequently unilateralist words and actions of this administration. Even though many countries lack the capabilities to address the terrorist threat effectively within their own borders, the administration has been unwilling to work with donors in setting up an international mechanism to coordinate assistance to, and increase the capacity of, less capable nations. We should not do this alone, but we should lead the effort.

Finish the job in Afghanistan and halt the resurgence of the Taliban. The reconstruction of Afghanistan requires a long-term commitment from the United States, involving more political will and resources than the Bush administration seems willing to provide. In Afghanistan, the Taliban-led armed resistance is regaining strength, the political system is vulnerable, reconstruction efforts are limited in their effectiveness, and the opium trade is again dominating the Afghan economy. Security in the countryside must be strengthened with quality Afghan forces. Afghanistan needs a long-term plan for economic development; one that coordinates the entire donor community more effectively, turns pledges into actual funding, and delivers completed projects in a timely manner.

Reduce the drag of Iraq on our global effort against international terrorists. The United States must begin to drawdown forces in Iraq so that it can more effectively combat terrorism. After failing to move forward from the military victory won by U.S. and coalition forces, this Administration has allowed the insurgency to evolve in to a sectarian civil war, leaving the prospects for stability more distant. The Iraq quagmire diverts resources from the task of confronting international terrorists. It provides a recruiting poster for the al Qaeda movement worldwide. It allows terrorists to observe and test tactics and acquire skills for use elsewhere.

Transform our military and intelligence capabilities to more effectively detect and respond to the terrorist threat. The Army must add new peacekeeping and stabilization units to its force structure, including increasing the size of the Special Forces and adding more military police and civil affairs personnel to the active component. Moreover, the terrorist threat will require a new focus on human intelligence and an increase in recruitment and training of speakers of Arabic, Urdu, Pashtu, and other Middle Eastern and central Asian languages.

Secure nuclear materials around the globe so they never fall into the hands of terrorists. A nuclear weapon or biological weapon in the hands of a terrorist is the single greatest threat to our national security. Preventing terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction in the first place is far easier than trying to stop them after the fact. The United States must launch an accelerated strategy to secure all nuclear and biological material across the globe, particularly in the former Soviet Union, where tons of nuclear materials remain vulnerable.

Support an opportunity and empowerment agenda to reduce corruption, increase education, strengthen public institutions, expand trade, and support democratic reform in the Muslim world. Just as the administration has shunned the complexities of nation-building in Afghanistan and Iraq, it has walked away from the broader empowerment and opportunity agenda needed to truly support reform in the Muslim world. This effort must be more than rhetoric and cannot be seen as a unilaterally American agenda. It requires broad international support. It must be responsive to local needs and include initiatives to reduce corruption, increase education, strengthen public institutions, and expand trade. The democratic reform effort must also support a legal system based on the rule of law and one that fosters economic empowerment and personal freedom.

Work with the international community to limit war and civil or sectarian strife in regions around the world where terrorists can find sanctuary or seek adherents. War and civil or sectarian strife in several areas of the world provides sanctuary and potential recruits for terrorists, fueling the broader terrorist movement. In addition to Lebanon, notable cases include Kashmir, Chechnya, Sudan, and Nigeria. These conflicts are often exploited by religious extremists to transform them into conflicts of civilization, drawing in militants from outside and creating more violent conflicts. The United States must work closely with our allies and international organizations to help resolve these conflicts. This should include both diplomatic efforts as well support for peacekeeping and post-conflict stabilization operations. In particular, the US must remain fully engaged in Lebanon to ensure that Hezbollah does not profit from its recent conflict with Israel.

THE BUSH RECORD

President Bush took his eye off the ball in Afghanistan, diverting resources to Iraq, allowing Osama Bin Laden to escape, and making it possible for a resurgent Taliban to threaten the nascent Afghan government. The Taliban sheltered Osama bin Laden, allowing him to orchestrate the attacks of 9/11. The Bush administration responded by removing the Taliban and allowing bin Laden to run. Instead of finishing the job, the administration shifted critical assets to Iraq. When it cornered Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora, it used proxy fighters instead of American troops and allowed the man responsible for the deaths of 3,000 Americans to escape. The mission in Afghanistan is still far from complete. The country continues to supply 92% of the world's opium and corruption and reconstruction delays remain a serious problem.

This administration allowed a bloody insurgency to gather steam in Iraq, turning the country into a terrorist training ground and haven. President Bush's botched occupation of Iraq provided Islamic terrorists with a unique opportunity to boost recruitment, train fighters, rally broader support throughout the Muslim world, and kill Americans. The Bush administration's failure to gain broad international backing for war, plan for the occupation of Iraq, and suppress initial lawlessness allowed the insurgency to take root. Unable and unwilling to secure Iraq's borders, it allowed foreign fighters to enter Iraq and contribute to a growing insurgency that has now expanded into a sectarian civil war. Iraq continues to drain resources and divert attention from the broader counterterrorism effort, and it remains a central element in the terrorist drive to gain recruits and discredit the US in the Muslim world.

This administration failed to adjust as al Qaeda morphed into a broader decentralized movement. Terrorists are now harder to identify and their ability to undertake attacks has grown. Since 9/11, al Qaeda and the movement it spawned has adapted, utilizing new, more subtle tactics; functioning more as a network of many terrorist groups and organizations, both local and transnational. Investigations following the London and Madrid bombings, and the UK airplane plot, showed the emergence of groups inspired by Bin Laden, but loosely linked or operating independently from the network. Unfortunately, the United States has yet to adapt as well.

The administration fought establishing the 9/11 Commission, resisted its conclusions, and has done little to turn essential recommendations into action. A report card compiled by the 9/11 Commission more than a year after the original report gave the administration a grade of D or lower in almost half of its measures. "Minimal progress" has been made on incentives for information sharing between intelligence agencies, and the creation of a new Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has failed to provide the bold leadership necessary "to catalyze transformation and manage and forge unity of effort in a more efficient and effective intelligence community."

This administration dramatically diminished America's global image and authority by sanctioning the use of torture. The current terrorist threat will be a generational challenge. Convincing Muslims and others not to support or join the ranks of terrorist groups is the most important action that can be taken over the long-term; however the Administration continues to take actions that stoke anti-Americanism and encourage radicalization in the Muslim world. Rhetorical support for democracy will never override the negative impact of such actions.

The Bush administration has poisoned relations with key allies in the war on terror by attacking Iraq without building a broad coalition, failed to utilize international institutions, and ignored America's international obligations regarding torture, human rights, and respect for the rule of law. The U.S. is today more poorly regarded than at any time in history. Major candidates in allied countries run their campaigns using anti-American rhetoric. Bin Laden is more popular in many Muslim countries than President Bush. America's once sacrosanct international image is today being undermined by reported activities at places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. These attitudes did not occur suddenly. They will take a long time to reverse. Diplomacy matters when trying to convince others to act in unison to win the War on Terror.

The administration neglected Lebanon and failed to deal with an increasing Hezbollah threat. Following the Cedar Revolution of 2005, the administration failed to shore up the new government or provide assistance for the disarmament of the Hezbollah militia, the only remaining armed group outside of the Lebanese government. Diverted by Iraq, President Bush allowed an important step toward democratic reform in the Middle East to collapse into conflict and chaos.