Terry McAuliffe on Foreign Policy Democratic nominee for Governor; previously DNC Chair

1995: Visited Belfast early in IRA cease-fire

Clinton's vision had paid off in spades. The cease-fire was 15 months old at that point, and all over town everyone was talking about how it was the 1st Christmas in memory that people in Belfast felt comfortable going downtown to shop.

I tell everybody that trip was one of the greatest moments I've ever had in politics. Everywhere we went huge crowds turned out and broke into ecstatic cheers of "We want Bill! We want Bill!" You had millions of people on the streets cheering President Clinton and cheering America, and it was spectacular.

2000: Vetted to be Ambassador to England

[My wife and I] thought it would be a great experience for the kids. And only one other Irish-American, Joe Kennedy, had ever served as ambassador to the Court of St. James, so it would have been a big deal in Ireland, too. I was excited by the chance to bring the two countries closer together. The next day half a dozen FBI agents showed up at my door to start the vetting process and within 3 weeks the whole thing had been done and I was cleared in record time.

Unfortunately for me, [Al Gore then asked], "Will you go out to LA and chair the convention?" As much as I wanted to go to England, I didn't hesitate. I was going to do what the VP wanted, no questions asked.

Progressive Internationalism: globalize with US pre-eminence.

Build a Public Consensus Supporting US Global Leadership
The internationalist outlook that served America and the world so well during the second half of the 20th century is under attack from both ends of the political spectrum. As the left has gravitated toward protectionism, many on the right have reverted to “America First” isolationism.

Our leaders should articulate a progressive internationalism based on the new realities of the Information Age: globalization, democracy, American pre-eminence, and the rise of a new array of threats ranging from regional and ethnic conflicts to the spread of missiles and biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. This approach recognizes the need to revamp, while continuing to rely on, multilateral alliances that advance U.S. values and interests.

A strong, technologically superior defense is the foundation for US global leadership. Yet the US continues to employ defense strategies, military missions, and force structures left over from the Cold War, creating a defense establishment that is ill-prepared to meet new threats to our security. The US must speed up the “revolution in military affairs” that uses our technological advantage to project force in many different contingencies involving uncertain and rapidly changing security threats -- including terrorism and information warfare.

Goals for 2010
• A clear national policy with bipartisan support that continues US global leadership, adjusts our alliances to new regional threats to peace and security, promotes the spread of political and economic freedom, and outlines where and how we are willing to use force.
• A modernized military equipped to deal with emerging threats to security, such as terrorism, information warfare, weapons of mass destruction, and destabilizing regional conflicts.