Why it matters:
Ever since 9/11, US vulnerability to terrorist attacks has made national security a top priority. All candidates agree on the need to win the war on terrorism and keep Americans safer, but the best way to achieve this has become a subject of bitter debate. Concerns about the fairness of Bush's sweeping security reforms - from the Department of Homeland Security to the USA Patriot Act - have been compounded by deeper questions about the best way to assemble a coalition to combat terror cells and contain rogue nations around the globe.
Where they stand:
Carol Moseley Braun
Braun opposes a preemptive war policy and is a leading critic of the USA Patriot Act, which she claims curtails civil liberties. Though not a pacifist, she is quite averse to war, preferring to emphasize diplomacy and international institutions to resolve conflict. She opposes the development of a national missile defense. She urges cooperation rather than "saber-rattling" to win the war on terrorism.
George W. Bush
Bush has led an aggressive response to the threat of terrorism. He led wars against regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, established the Department of Homeland Security, signed the USA Patriot Act, overhauled airport security, and shaped an unprecedented - and occasionally unilateral - foreign policy designed to put terrorists and rogue nations on the defensive. He is pushing forward plans to develop a national missile defense.
Wesley Clark
Clark offers a 10-point pledge to make the US stronger and more secure. He emphasizes the need to restore US alliances and rebuild allied relationships he claims Bush strained. He calls for an additional $40 billion investment in homeland security and a full congressional review of the USA Patriot Act, which he claims "goes too far." He claims that his experience as a top general makes him uniquely qualified to help US troops win the peace abroad.
Howard Dean
Dean urges greater international cooperation in the war on terror and promises to build the world's "strongest military." He opposes military tribunals, and calls for inquiries into US intelligence agencies' failures. Dean wants to repeal parts of the USA Patriot Act he feels restrict basic liberties. He'd use the repeal of the Bush tax cuts to create a new Homeland Defense Trust Fund designed to bolster preparation for first responders, protect the nation's infrastructure, and prevent WMD attacks.
John Edwards
Edwards proposes to shift intelligence-gathering away from the FBI and into a new homeland intelligence agency. He wants to tighten security for domestic targets, especially chemical plants, and pledges more resources for first responders. He criticizes some measures taken by Attorney General John Ashcroft and proposes a new office of individual liberties. He opposes military tribunals. Edwards emphasizes strong US military presence coupled with better diplomacy and greater efforts to win the peace.
Dick Gephardt
Gephardt proposes a homeland security trust fund to provide state and local communities with $20 billion worth of domestic-security funding, including money to establish a first responder grant program. He'd also integrate the federal terrorist watch lists to provide a single database of suspected terrorists. He originally backed the USA Patriot Act, but he now cautions against undercutting civil liberties. Gephardt promises to rebuild strained relationships with US allies to improve the morale within the global coalition fighting terrorism.
John Kerry
Kerry's "progressive internationalism" emphasizes nonmilitary threats to national security such as global poverty and disease. A major part of his security plan involves greater energy independence and more resources to combat global HIV/AIDS. He favors "engagement" over what he calls "erratic unilateralism." He'd roll back Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to increase homeland security investment, including more resources for first responders, making security a higher priority for the National Guard and AmeriCorps. He recommends letting the USA Patriot Act expire.
Dennis Kucinich
Kucinich is the candidate most averse to war. He claims Bush's policy of preventive war has made the world more dangerous. And he feels the fight against terrorism must include efforts to address its root causes. He'd trim the Pentagon's budget by 15 percent, and he proposes a new Department of Peace, but he calls himself "antimilitarist, not antimilitary." He's one of the very few who voted against the USA Patriot Act. Kucinich opposes plans to build a national missile defense.
Joe Lieberman
A military hawk, Lieberman has supported much of Bush's security agenda, even as he proposes to vastly improve upon the president's record. He was an early champion of the Department of Homeland Security, and he pledges $15 billion more in security funding, including more funds for first responders. He criticizes Bush for lack of concrete plans for postwar Iraq and wants to improve and broaden US alliances. He would reduce US dependence on foreign oil and would refocus the National Guard to include homeland defense.
Al Sharpton
Sharpton opposes the US acting as the world's "supercop," and favors investing in other nations instead of relying on military solutions. He urges greater transparency and consistency in US foreign relations. He strongly opposes the USA Patriot Act, and he urges improved relations with the United Nations, Arab countries, and especially Cuba. He pledges a "critical review" of defense spending. Sharpton opposes preemptive war and urges dialogue with North Korea.
