ADVANCE Democracy Act Introduced

Cybercast News Service reports the introduction of the ADVANCE Democracy Act today by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman and Representatives Frank Wolf and Tom Lantos. The ADVANCE Democracy Act declares that it is the policy of the United States to promote freedom and democracy as a fundamental component of U.S. foreign policy and to see an end to dictatorial and other non-democratic forms of government within two decades. The bill achieve these ends by seeking to institute into law Ambassador Mark Palmer's recommendations in Breaking the Real Axis of Evil, which you can conveniently buy by clicking on the link to the book at Amazon to the left.

The Act’s purposes are accomplished by strengthening the ability of the Department of State to promote democracy, particularly with respect to non-democratic countries; and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S. efforts to promote democracy globally through a comprehensive study that will include recommendations to improve the use of such monies so as to see an end to dictatorial and other non-democratic forms of government within two decades.

A significant part of my work life at Hudson Institute this past year has been devoted to drafting this near-100 page bohemoth of a bill with Sullivan & Cromwell Associate Eric Kadel, Mike Horowitz, and Mark Palmer, and if passed I believe it will help President George W. Bush achieve America's "great objective of ending tyranny" abroad. I will provide further updates about the ADVANCE Democracy Act's introduction as the day progresses.

Update: Perhaps ironically, Agence France-Presse is the first to report the statements of Senators McCain and Lieberman at the press conference introducing the ADVANCE Democracy Act:

"The promotion of democracy and freedom is simply inseparable from the long term security of the US," said Senator John McCain, pointing to the recent fall of non-democratic governments in the Ukraine and Lebanon.

"It basically says that America has a national purpose, defined in our Declaration of Independence, that we're all endowed equally by our Creator with those rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That's America's work at home, but it's (also) America's work abroad," said Senator Joseph Lieberman, another bill sponsor.

"In the debate between realists and idealists," said Lieberman, the bill puts US foreign policy "squarely on the side of idealism."