Candidates clarify stances

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked the major candidates of both parties to write an essay for Jewish voters, broadly addressing two issues: the prospects for peace in the Middle East, and separation of church and state at home, with an emphasis on school vouchers and faith-based initiatives. President George Bush declined to participate.

WESLEY CLARK

The values of patriotism, faith, family and inclusion shape my thinking and my agenda for America, but I define them differently than the politicians and ideologues most often associated with these terms.

Patriotism means living up to the image of America that inspires people all over the world to seek a new life on our shores. A Clark administration will strengthen America's alliances abroad, promote the national interest through the power of persuasion and use force only as a last resort.

Nowhere is American leadership more crucial than in the Middle East.

It's been more than three years since Yasser Arafat rejected a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In those three years, almost 1,000 innocent Israelis have been killed by Palestinian suicide bombers. And, as a result of the actions Israel has taken to defend itself, the suffering of the Palestinian people has increased.

Now the Israeli government has decided that it has no option but to build a security fence. This barrier is a logical extension of Israel's right to self-defense, but it is neither a long-term solution nor a sustainable substitute for peace.

As president, I will send a high-level negotiating team to the region and task them with helping the parties renew and complete the peace process.

In working toward peace, I will never lose sight of Israel's security interests because I believe that honoring America's com-mitments is part of what it means to be patriotic.

Patriotism also demands the ardent support of American values around the world wherever they are challenged. The pervasive-ness of anti-Semitism in the Arab and Muslim world must be condemned. So, too, must anti-Semitic crimes against Jewish institutions in Europe.

Reverence for the sep-aration of church and state is also central to American patriotism.

Faith-based social pro-grams do excellent work. But the Bush administration crossed the line with its activist stance on faith-based initia-tives, which have the potential to use federal funds to en-courage religion.

As president, I plan to keep the business of government sepa-rate from matters of faith. That is one of the reasons why I oppose school vouchers.

As for family values, I believe in putting families first. That's why I'll im-plement a progressive tax reform that simplifies the tax code, relieves the financial strain on working families and reduces poverty.

You cannot properly care for a family if you do not have a job or if you are constantly worried about losing your health-care coverage. A Clark administration will invest in jobs and increase access to affordable health care. My health-care plan will extend coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans - including every single American child.

We have a choice. We can keep losing jobs, mortgag- ing our children's future, alienating our friends and neglecting our allies. Or we can change course. I will bring a higher standard of leadership back to Wash-ington.

Retired four-star Gen. Wesley Clark was the supreme allied commander of NATO.

DENNIS JOHN KUCINICH

It is no exaggeration to say that peace in the Middle East must be one of the highest priorities of leaders around the world.

I stand firmly behind my commitment to the State of Israel and the security of the Israeli people. Israel and the United States have been allies since the birth of that nation in 1948.

At the same time - and for the same humanitarian principles - I declare my support for a Palestinian state and for the security of the Palestinian people.

For these reasons, I support the U.S.-sponsored "road map" peace plan adopted by the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

While I understand Israel's ardent desire to protect her people from violence, I cannot believe that the security fence Israel is constructing through the West Bank will help achieve that goal.

I believe that what is needed, rather than a fence, is creation of a democratic Palestinian state with territorial contiguity and economic via-bility.

It is time for the world to let go the ways of war and embrace the ways of peace. As president, I will create a De-partment of Peace. Conflict is inevi-table; violence is not.

Domestically, it important for us to remember that our Con-stitution protects all of us to worship as we choose in the faith of our choice. Our founding fathers recognized that for us to enjoy religious freedom, there must be a complete separation of church and state.

This does not keep spirituality out of our public lives, nor should it. It does, however, ensure that our government does not favor any one religion or another.

This is why I believe that the "faith-based initiative,'' which provides specific and controversial ways in which religious organizations and governments may partner to provide social services, violates that basic con-stitutional mandate.

I would do away with the faith-based initiative and instead promote programs designed to reduce poverty, homelessness, joblessness and illness, and to raise the health, prosperity and cultural literacy of all Americans.

School vouchers also harm rather than help. They bleed vital funds from our public-school system and threaten values vital to the health of American demo-cracy.

As president, I will lead the fight to improve public schools and oppose alternatives that divert attention and resources from efforts to reduce class size, enhance teacher quality and provide every student with safe and orderly schools.

Dennis Kucinich is a Democrat representing Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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