John Edwards Will Fight Terrorism With Peace Corps

This is neither a joke or spin if that's what you're thinking. Edwards is actually proposing to fight terrorism with a peace corp type entity. Now that's thinking John ... that's thinking.

NY Sun:

Senator Edwards is outlining a new national security strategy that hinges on the creation of a 10,000-person civilian peace corps to stem the tide of terrorism in weak and unstable countries.

Mr. Edwards's plan, which he presented in Manhattan yesterday, comes less than a week after he called President Bush's war on terror a "bumper sticker slogan" and said the current national security strategy has not made America safer.

Oh boy. Does anyone remember being told by your teachers to just walk away, or try talking to a bully? It didn't work, did it? The only thing that did work was to sock that bully right in the nose so he left you alone. When are people going to realize that some people just can't be talked to.

The plan Mr. Edwards presented yesterday — which he dubbed "A Strategy to Shut Down Terrorists and Stop Terrorism Before It Starts" — calls for a 10,000-person "Marshall Corps" to deal with issues ranging from worldwide poverty and economic development to clean drinking water and micro-lending. He said investing in those areas would shore up weak nations and help ensure that terrorism does not take root there. That, he said, would allow the country to stop potential terrorists before they even join the ranks.

Ah yes ... the old premise that poverty causes terrorism. What a shame that we don't have any proof of that in any western country. Sure our poor may get involved in crime, but there is a difference. That whole bin Laden millionaire thing must not be a concern for Edwards.

You can't run the country if you don't understand the idealogical issues here. Edwards has yet to explain how his 10,000 strong peace corp is going to counter the effect of Islamic schools that preach killing the infidels.

Edwards wants to make this a cabinet level position which will require assistance from our allies. He's not well versed on history folks ... I know.

He drew some criticism from people who deal with this issue regularly.

The president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Clifford May, said he was "skeptical" of Mr. Edwards's proposal.

"Humanitarian aid is a good thing. I approve of that. But it doesn't really have much to do with the causes of terrorism," Mr. May said. " Mohamed Atta, the lead terrorist on 9/11, was based in Germany, was well-educated. The causes of terrorism are several, but poverty is not one of them."

Edwards also wants to shift tactical decisions from the military to civilians.

Mr. Edwards is also proposing shifting more responsibility for tactical and operational decisions to military personnel from civilian leaders.

LGF had this to say about Edwards:

John Edwards is trying to get to the left of Dennis Kucinich (who wants to replace the Department of Defense with a “Department of Peace”) by proposing that we “fight” a nonexistent war on imaginary terrorists by creating a peace corps.

There's nothing like starting your weekend off with a presidential hopeful wanting to fight a non-existent war with a peace corp, and allowing civilians to make the tactical decisions instead of the military.