We Have to Look

There has been a lot of slap-happy talk lately about how the Democrats don't have a plan. It is the flavor du jour. In fact, if we look, we'll see the Democrats have lots of plans. They've been writing them, publishing them, and proposing them for years. Beginning January they'll have a chance to implement some of them.

But we still won't notice if we don't look.

We won't notice that Democratic Congressman John Murtha's controversial redeployment plan (what was called "cut and run" by the hyperbolic GOP, but which actually involved a phased-redeployment) matches, almost to the letter, the recent advice of the generals on the ground—generals to whom George Bush has consistently differed when considering troop deployment.

Why won't we notice? Because most of us didn't become familiar with Murtha's proposal in the first place. Though we may have disparaged it.

We won't notice the Democrat's energy policy, which spells out in specific detail the goals our nation needs to achieve by certain dates, and the primary efforts which need to be made.

We just have to look.

As an example, I would guess that almost no one reading this is aware of Nancy Pelosi's recent letter to China's President Hu. I would guess an even slimmer number have read it.

But plenty will gripe, "The Democrats need to put plans on the table, they need to decide on their position and make it clear." They have.

We just have to look.

If we do we'll see that Pelosi (on behalf of her party, and as the new Democratic Speaker of the House) has proposed a new Shanghai Communique—homage to the 1972 Shanghai Communique forged between China and the United States. Specifically, she is asking President Hu to agree to three fundamental goals. Goals which can be, and are, defined objectively—you'll be pleased to know.

"First, China has committed to a 20 percent reduction in energy consumption for every 1 percent of GDP growth by 2010—a courageous commitment that President Bush has also failed to make. I ... propose that the United States as a whole match the 4 percent annual improvement ... already undertaken by California. That would mean at least a 25 percent improvement by 2012.

... Second, I want to lead an effort to help China invest in factories devoted to clean power technologies—green cars, solar panels, wind turbines ... You have $1 trillion in reserves because of your trade surplus with us. Nothing would improve China's standing in America more than using its reserves, as Japan did, to create good U.S. jobs and profits for Chinese companies—all while advancing the clean power industry.

Third, I propose we send over a 'Green Corps' of U.S. engineers to travel across China and demonstrate something many Chinese officials do not understand: being green is profitable ... You will never break out of your cycle of environmental degradation until those officials understand that pollution is wasted energy and wasted money."

Pelosi goes on to lay out some more specific plans.

"I want to require our power grid operators to purchase 20 percent of their energy from environmentally sound renewables by 2020." An improvement over China's 10 percent promise. And she doesn't stop there:

"We need to bring our U.S. engineers, who know how to clean up small engines, together with your manufacturers, who know how to mass produce them cheaply, to forge companies that will not only clean up the air in developing countries but make money for both of us."

This kind of forethought and smart diplomacy is exactly what we need. These are ideas and plans and goals. These are specifics. This is not what most people think of the Democratic party. Perhaps we should re-evaluate our impressions.

All we need to do is look.