Democrats need another Scoop Jackson

Democrats need another Scoop Jackson - that's the conclusion of Froma Harrop writing an extended version of her syndicated column in today's Seattle Times http://tinyurl.com/7528f For those too young to recall the days that Scoop Jackson was a powerful Democratic Senator and advocate for U.S. military strength who twice sought his party's nomination, Jackson is best remembered for being a strong advocate of national defense and security during the Cold War era. Harrop quotes a Jackson biographer who stated that the late Senator from Washington State recognized that "the root cause of the Cold War as a messianic ideology and totalitarianism," says Kaufman, professor of public policy at Pepperdine University. "He would have seen similar root causes in 9/11."
The memory of Scoop Jackson is frequently invoked by Republican neo-conservatives. Harrop points out while acknowledging Jackson's influence on many of today's neo-conservatives that Jackson might not have favored U.S. involvement in Iraq. In 1982, Jackson opposed Ronald's Regan's action to send U.S. troops in Lebanon as he felt that American intervention would have fueled increased religious and ethinic tensions in the Middle East. Regardless of what his position would have been on Iraq if still alive today, Jackson would have a strong credibility on national defense and security issues as Harrop points out "no one would have questioned his determination to defend America." A similar figure today might be Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, a mainstream Democrat and Vietnam veteran with a strong background in defense matters, who recently called for phasing out our involvement in Iraq.
I would take some exception of Harrop's description of Jackson as a modern day liberal across the board on domestic issues. Jackson was strongly pro-labor and definitely a economic populist which was often defined as liberal at one time. He believed that the Democratic Party needed to represent the interests of working Americans. Jackson though in contrast to the Moveonner Left of today was capable of seeing moral absolutes. Jackson used to say "I'm a liberal but not a damn fool." The late Senator recognized that Soviet authoritarianism was evil and needed to be destroyed. In addition to his strong anti-communism, Jackson had some socially conservative leanings opposing forced school busing to achieve racial balance in public schools (although a firm believer that discrimination on the basis of race must be prohibited) and felt that the emerging gay rights movement was a sign of societal decay. If Jackson were alive today, he certainly be regarded as a conservative in Democratic circles.
We must revitalize the Scoop Jackson wing of the Democratic Party. Too many Democratic leaders come across as weak or indifferent to defense and national security matters. Any sane person wants to live in a peaceful world, however, there are times when a nation must be prepared to use military force. Many Democrats today leave themselves open to the impression that they want peace at any price. A lot of Democratic activists seem to feel that the need for a war on terrorism is an illusion dreamed up by sinister neo-conservatives. The reality is that Islamic militants really do pose a threat to America and all democratic nations just as Soviet totalitarianism did during Scoop Jackson's tenure in the U.S. Senate. American intervention in Iraq was, in my view, a distraction from the real war on terrorism. Our party must take a strong stand for securing our borders (something that the Bush Administration has refused to do), bolstering intelligence capabilities and facing up to potential threats from terrorists who may use chemical, biological weapons or nuclear weapons against America and our allies. Democrats continue to be perceived by voters as weak on national security matters and this must change if the party is to regain majority status.