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National Security and the 2008 Presidential Elections

As CNP examines the issues driving the 2008 election, national security has consistently risen to the top of the list. Directly connecting foreign policy and the newly created “Presidential Series,” CNP invited two experts on the subject of how American voters and candidates are thinking about and talking about national security:  Geoffrey Garin of Peter D. Hart Research Associates and Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies

Garin and McInturff presented the findings of a poll entitled “The New American Consensus on International Cooperation.” Previous speakers at CNP have discussed America’s increasingly negative image in the world; Garin and McInturff’s poll found that Americans are aware of this and that consensus exists in recognizing that it is a major problem. They are deeply concerned about it.  Americans want their country to be a leader in world affairs, but to do so in a way that embodies being a “role model” or “partner,” not a “bully” or “policeman.”  

This view translates into the consensus that exists across a large portion of the political spectrum confirming that Americans should pursue a foreign policy that is more cooperative and less unilateral.  In fact, cooperation and coalition building will be one of the keys to facing some of the top issues identified by those polled; our foreign policy needs to address the dependence on foreign oil and global warming. According to the poll’s findings, these messages of consensus and cooperation as guiding principles of foreign policy can best bridge the partisan divide. Americans strongly support policies that keep their country safe, and view building alliances as a key way for the United States to successfully fight the war on radical extremism.
    

• The wide consensus that exists in the United States in support of a foreign policy that embraces cooperation provides an excellent foundation for decision-makers to focus on issues that will help rebuild America’s image in the world. 
  

•  In keeping with what those surveyed recognized as being important to successful implementation of our foreign policy, policymakers must use America’s full diplomatic toolbox, not solely the military, in the war on radical extremism.

• Americans recognize that America leads best when other countries look up to the United States, and policymakers must be cognizant of this in trying to lead efforts to confront radical extremism, global warming, and global poverty.