(A) piece in The New Yorker (link) should be a cold slap in the face for Democrats who want their party to get serious about national security issues. The title of the piece refers to a quote from the party's 2004 presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who believes that the Democrats' perceived weakness on defense issues stems from a "marketing" problem. "We have to brand more effectively. It's marketing," says the senator from Massachusetts. However, the piece does point out that "national-security Democrats" (a group somewhat sadly described as a "modest-sized faction") disagree with this viewpoint, realistically attributing the perception to far deeper realities. But the depth of the party's problem may best be illustrated by this snippet regarding Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) views on US foreign policy, specifically Iraq: "When I spoke to Kennedy last month, he said that the [Iraqi] election did not persuade him that the war was justified. He believes that it was fought under false pretenses, and is unconvinced that democracy can be brought by force to a place like Iraq. 'How should democracy be exported?' he asked. 'The First Amendment and food. We know how to grow it, and how to deliver it. The First Amendment is a pretty good starting point.'"
There you have it. When a tyrannical despot has a gun pointed at the heads of his people, as was literally the case with Saddam Hussein, Ted Kennedy's Democrats want to help bring democracy to the victimized by quoting Voltaire and delivering ham and swiss on rye. Good plan, Sen. Kennedy. Yeah, it's a "marketing" problem.