Cold warriors return for war on terrorism (a new kind of PNAC?)

[Rose Siding]

Cold War hawks are resurrecting a decades-old group to lobby for a harder line against terrorist organizations and rogue states.

The Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), a coalition of foreign- and defense-policy experts originally organized in 1950 and re-formed in 1976, will soon undergo its third incarnation under the leadership of Peter Hannaford, a communications consultant and adviser to President Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaigns.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) will serve as one of the committee’s honorary co-chairmen, and addressed a conference on Iraq that the committee co-sponsored two weeks ago. Former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey will also be a member.
...
Jeane Kirkpatrick, who was Reagan’s ambassador to the United Nations and who was also a member of the 1976 committee, said that the CPD’s mission would become clearer “as events develop over the next months. Unfortunately, I think a significant number of those events are likely to concern terrorism. But they will also concern democracy-building.”

Kampelman added, “I think the country is in present danger today...We’ve got to come up with a bipartisan program to do something about influencing public opinion in the rest of the world. It’s an unfortunate reality today that America does not look good in the eyes of many people…a total inadequacy on the part of administration.”
...
Gary Schmitt, executive director of the Project for the New American Century, a neoconservative think-tank whose stated mission is to “promote American global leadership,” was unaware of the CPD’s reincarnation but said, “Certainly it would help put pressure on any administration to make sure they are thoughtful about carrying out what they say they are going to do and maintain public support in times of difficulty.”

http://thehill.com/news/063004/coldwar.aspx

No good will come of this.

[MisterP]

1. CPD overinflated Soviet capability estimates in order

to encourage hegemony-forming and other activities

[MisterP]

8. Americans or Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT) is related

Hannaford said that the committee, through symposia, media campaigns and lobbying efforts, will espouse the doctrine that ‘the war on terror needs to be won.’
Asked if this mission is already being handled by conservative think tanks, Hannaford said, “I don’t know any group that exclusively has that as its charge.” <end snip>
Lieberman was in AVOT as well! Some now-tombstoned entities said that it was all okay since he withdrew just from the governing board, showing that he knew he had made a mistake in jumping headling in bed with "Slots" Bennett and "Purple Prose" Lynne Cheney and their thinly-veiled ravings about "Islamofascists."

[mmonk]

2. I think the world is getting enough

of our hegemony by force under pretense of threat.

[legin]

3. I may have been wrong about Lieberman

I've previously thought him completely wrong, but honestly completely wrong, I never saw his name in the wrong places, that I can remember, board of advisors of think tanks, signatories of letters etc.

But this is the second time he has pissed me off in the last few days. The first, being the keynote speaker at a symposium of the Foundation for Defence of Democracy (the one I keep post the board of advisors of):

http://www.defenddemocracy.org/research_topics/research_topics_show.htm?doc_id=228413

Lieberman, having been rejected as leader of the Democratic Party, looks like he is joining the neo-cons or he might have been one all along.

[legin]

4. Lieberman's speech at the symposium

http://www.defenddemocracy.org/in_the_media/in_the_media_show.htm?doc_id=228970

[Dover]

5. Kirkpatrick - "...as events develop over the next months......"

"Unfortunately, I think a significant number of those events are likely to concern terrorism."

Apparently positioning themselves to make their move during the panic and anger of the next terrorist attack....

Probably have their doctrines and Patriot Acts and other aggressive policies all printed up and ready for Congress's signatures.

[Rose Siding]

6. And how far would this crew be willing to go to

"...do something about influencing public opinion in the rest of the world."?

[Dover]

7. ......oh, I think they've already demonstrated that. Only it didn't have

quite the duration of effect they expected to get us through the complete annihilation of the axis of evil.

[jukes]

9. brace for it, folks

it IS coming down.

[Rex]

10. There's no money is PEACE.

Let's all go to WAR! I'm crazy for WAR! :crazy:

[struggle4progress]

11. Jeane Kirkpatrick wrapped pretty words around nasty shit for Reagan. eom