The following statements are based on a draft document.
FOREIGN POLICY
IRAQ
• Strongly supports the Iraq war, saying the invasion has made the United States safer and Iraq freer; acknowledges that weapons of mass destruction have yet to be found but says Saddam Hussein had the "capacity" and "desire" to build such weapons; supports maintaining the U.S. presence in Iraq, saying "we will finish that task"; says Iraq is "becoming" an example of "reform" to the Middle East.
TERRORISM, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, DEFENSE
• Lauds President Bush's leadership, saying it has made the United States and the world safer.
• Declares that terrorism and weapons of mass destruction are the "preeminent" threats to the United States.
• Reserves the right to preempt unconventional attacks; declares: "We will not allow the world's most dangerous regimes to possess the world's most dangerous weapons."
• Endorses U.S. efforts to "convince" North Korea and Iran that "nuclear weapons ambitions" are "deeply contrary" to their interests.
• Supports creating the post of a national intelligence director, who would oversee foreign and domestic intelligence activities and be the president's principal intelligence adviser; supports creating a national counterterrorism center that would monitor and coordinate counterterrorism activities.
• Supports extending the USA Patriot Act.
• Supports development of antimissile systems.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
• Says the United States has seen "great benefits from free and fair trade"; lauds NAFTA and other free trade agreements as having helped lower prices and provide consumers with more choices; vows to negotiate new trade agreements while enforcing existing ones; opposes "moves toward economic isolation."
ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
• Reaffirms U.S. support for Israel; says Israel has the right to defend itself against "homicide bombings"; supports creating an independent Palestinian state; "commends" the Israeli government for taking "steps to achieving peace in the Middle East"; backs the Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza.
DOMESTIC POLICY
TAXES, JOBS, THE ECONOMY
• Supports making Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent.
• Calls the federal deficit "unwelcome but manageable"; supports the Bush plan to cut the deficit in half within five years; vows to "address" the alternative minimum tax but does not provide details.
• Supports legislation requiring "super-majority" votes in Congress to raise taxes; supports creating congressional budget rules requiring increased mandatory government spending to be offset with higher taxes; supports giving the president a constitutional "line-item veto" that would allow him to reject provisions of congressional spending bills.
HEALTH CARE
• Lauds Bush's Medicare prescription drug plan.
• Vows to remake medical liability laws, to cut down on "junk lawsuits."
• Opposes "any notion of government-run health care."
• Supports allowing small businesses to "pool together" to enhance their insurance purchasing power.
• Supports Bush administration restrictions on federal funding of stem-cell research.
• Vows to ensure that "most" Americans have electronic health records within the next decade.
SOCIAL SECURITY
• Supports allowing individuals to direct a "portion" of their payroll taxes into personal retirement accounts, a private-sector alternative to Social Security.
• Says any "new options" for retirement security ought to be voluntary and enable individuals to remain in the current system if they choose.
• Vows not to raise taxes on or cut benefits for those currently receiving Social Security benefits and those "close" to being eligible for it.
IMMIGRATION
• Endorses Bush's "guest worker" plan for illegal immigrants in the United States; supports efforts to expand border security.
EDUCATION
• Lauds Bush's signature education reform legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, and supports expanding the charter school system.
ENERGY
• Endorses Bush's energy plan; supports oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska while expanding oil production in the Rocky Mountains; supports expanding construction of nuclear power plants.
ENVIRONMENT
• Lauds Bush administration environmental policies; supports the president's "Clear Skies" plan to reduce power plant emissions; says the party is "committed" to fighting global warming "by relying on markets and new technologies to improve energy efficiency."
ABORTION
• Supports a constitutional amendment to ban abortion; lauds Bush for signing legislation banning a controversial procedure that critics call "partial-birth abortion"; opposes funding for international organizations "involved" with abortion.
GAY RIGHTS
• Supports amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriages; opposes legal recognition of civil unions and "other living arrangements as equivalent to marriage"; declares homosexuality "incompatible" with military service.
GUN CONTROL
• Endorses right to own guns; says the "best way" to deter crime is to enforce existing gun laws and hand out tough penalties to those who commit crimes with a gun; opposes creating a national gun registry.
-- Brian Faler
