Clinton's team aids Kerry on military

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Sen. John Kerry, who delivers a major speech today on how he would reshape the military, is getting his national security ideas from a cadre of retired generals and ex-civilian officials who advised President Clinton.

But in speeches so far, the Massachusetts Democrat sounds like President Bush when discussing his strategy for the war on terrorism and a military of the future. Mr. Kerry even attempts to sound tougher than the hawkish president.

The presidential candidate said this week that he wants to "secure all bomb-making materials" in the world. The phrase seemed designed to trump Mr. Bush's achievements in getting Libya to disarm and cracking Pakistan's nuclear weapons black market.

Mr. Kerry's series of national security speeches also is a bid to close poll numbers that give Mr. Bush a big edge in fighting the war on terror. In the process, the candidate is positioning himself to the right of the Democratic Party's left wing, which ridicules the need for a global war on terror.

"His speech will be focused on strengthening the military to meet the new threats we face," said campaign spokeswoman Brooke Anderson.

Mr. Kerry says he wants to hunt down terrorists worldwide and prepare the military for new threats -- themes that closely mirror those of the Bush administration.

The president has adopted a policy of pre-emption to kill or capture al Qaeda and other terrorists before they attack.

Mr. Kerry seemed to echo that position in a May 27 speech. "As president," he said, "my No. 1 security goal will be to prevent the terrorists from gaining weapons of mass murder. And our overriding mission will be to disrupt and destroy their terrorist cells. ... We must take the fight to the enemy on every continent."

In the speech, Mr. Kerry did not repeat his earlier position that the military would play "far less" of a role in the war on terror if he is elected.

The earlier statement has stirred questions on whether Mr. Kerry would revert to counterterrorism policies of the Clinton presidency, when no military attack on the ground was launched against Osama bin Laden or his al Qaeda network.