Following are the candidates’ responses, based on the NISPOP survey:

1. Troops in the Philippines

1. If you are elected, will you seek to:

a. increase the number of US troops in the Philippines?
b. maintain the current number of US troops in the Philippines?
c. reduce the number of US troops in the Philippines? or
d. withdraw all US troops from the Philippines?

Cobb (Green): “D”

Badnarik (Libertarian): “I would withdraw all United States troops from all countries in which we currently interfere. This process may not be accomplished overnight, but the goal of my administration, with regards to our foreign policy, will be one of non-intervention.”

 Peroutka (Constitution): “No troops in the Philippines.”

Brown (Socialist): “Withdraw. I served in the Navy at Subic Bay in the early 1960saround 1961-1964 and I understand, I think, what’s going on there. I became a 32nd degree mason in a Filipino lodge and joined the local rotary club. For being close to the Filipino people, I received a bad fitness report, never made captain, and was not recommended for foreign duty.”

John Parker (Workers World): (answered by Co-campaign manager Monica Moorehead) “If John Parker and Teresa Gutierrez were elected president and vice-president of the U.S. respectively, they would unconditionally withdraw all U.S. troops from the Philippines….Additionally, [Parker and Gutierrez] would pay reparations to the Filipino people for the many decades of super-exploitation and neo-colonial oppression suffered under U.S. imperialist domination.”

Van Auken (Socialist Equality): “D”

Kerry: No response as of this writing.

“Working with other countries in the War on Terror is something we do for our sake not theirs. We can’t wipe out terrorist cells in places like Sweden, Canada, Spain, the Philippines, or Italy just by dropping in Green Berets….[I]f I am President I will not hesitate to order direct military action when needed to capture and destroy terrorist groups and their leaders.” (http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0227.html)

Bush: No response as of this writing.

Deployed troops to the Philippines.
Maintains troops in the Philippines.

Nader (Reform): No response as of this writing.

Calero (Socialist Workers): No response as of this writing.

“The immediate, unconditional withdrawal of U.S and other imperialist troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Korea, Haiti, Colombia, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba!” (from The SWP Campaign Platform, part of a campaign flier)

2. Troops in Iraq

2. If you are elected, will you seek to:
a. increase the number of US troops in Iraq?
b. maintain the current number of US troops in Iraq?
c. reduce the number of US troops in Iraq? or
d. withdraw all US troops from Iraq?

Cobb: “D”

Badnarik: “I will withdraw the troops from Iraq as quickly as can safely be accomplished.”

Peroutka: “No troops in Iraq.”

Brown: “Withdraw all troops from Iraq. Put in a United Nations peacekeeping force not containing any of the current allies.”

Parker: Unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq.”

Van Auken: “D”

Kerry: No response as of this writing. As senator, voted for the current Iraq war.

“First, we must create a stable and secure environment in Iraq. That will require a level of forces equal to the demands of the mission. To do this right, we have to truly internationalize both politically and militarily: we cannot depend on a US-only presence. In the short-term, however, if our commanders believe they need more American troops, they should say so and they should get them.” (http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0430.html)

Bush: No response as of this writing.

Deployed troops to Iraq.
Maintains troops in Iraq.

Nader: No response as of this writing. “We need to announce a withdrawal of our troops, not increase them.” (http://www.votenader.org/media_press/index.php?cid=22)

Calero: No response as of this writing. “The immediate, unconditional withdrawal of U.S and other imperialist troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Korea, Haiti, Colombia, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba!” (from The SWP Campaign Platform, part of a campaign flier)

3. “Terrorist” listings

3. If you are elected, will you seek to:
a. remove Professor Jose Maria Sison, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and/or the New People’s Army from the U.S. State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals? or
b. maintain Professor Jose Maria Sison, the CPP, and the NPA on these lists?

Cobb: “I do not know enough about this issue yet.”

Badnarik: “I do not believe that the United States should be involved with the internal domestic policies of other nations. It is up to the people of the Philippines to determine what kind of government they wish to have. I do not believe that the United States can export freedom at the point of a gun. Thus, the need for such a list will be eliminated, as so called "terrorist organizations" will have no cause to seek revenge against the United States.”

Peroutka: “I’ll do a little bit more digging into it to see if I even think there’s any federal jurisdiction to even be entertaining it as a question. But generally speaking, we think that the Filipinos are fully capable of running themselves, and in fact they have been retarded in their ability to do so by the United States government federal involvement.”

Brown: “I’m not a communist…but there have been independent communists like Tito and Ho Chi Minh. If he is trying through whatever means to decrease the presence of the US troops there, I’m all for him. The lack of due process is like the House Un-American Activities Committee [(HUAC), of the McCarthy era in the US (mainly the 1950s)]. I wouldn’t support him attacking US forces, but I would support the political goals. Sometimes political goals are achieved militarily. I prefer peaceful means, but sometimes we can’t [restrict ourselves to those]. I wouldn’t want to call George Washington a terrorist because he’s trying to throw out the British through military means. And I wouldn’t consider Aguinaldo or José Rizal a terrorist just because they tried to remove foreign influence from their country.”

Parker: “…would immediately remove Professor Jose Maria Sison, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army from the U.S. State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and from the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals.”

Van Auken: “A”

Kerry: No response as of this writing. johnkerry.com supports the “war on terrorism” without defining “terrorism.” This suggests that Kerry accepts the Bush administration’s definition, which includes Prof. Sison.

Bush: No response as of this writing. Added Professor Jose Maria Sison, the CPP, and the NPA to these lists.
Maintains Professor Jose Maria Sison, the CPP, and the NPA on these lists.

Nader: No response as of this writing.

Calero: No response as of this writing.

4. USA PATRIOT Act

4. If you are elected, will you seek to:
a. repeal the USA PATRIOT Act?
b. repeal parts of the USA PATRIOT Act?
c. maintain the USA PATRIOT Act? or
d. supplement the USA PATRIOT Act with similar legislation?

David Cobb: “A”

Badnarik: “I will seek to repeal the Patriot Act. I believe it is possible to establish non-interventionist policies. This will begin the process of repairing the damage we have done to the people of other nations by our previous policies, thus making this assault on our liberties, unnecessary.”

Peroutka: “PATRIOT Act (is) bad.”

Brown: “Repeal the PATRIOT Act”

Parker: “…repeal every word of the repressive USA Patriot Act.”

Van Auken: “A”

Kerry: No response as of this writing. As Senator, voted for the USA PATRIOT Act.

Bush: No response as of this writing. “President Bush signed the PATRIOT Act giving law enforcement vital tools to fight terrorism.”

Nader: No response as of this writing. “Civil liberties and due process of law are eroding due to the “war on terrorism” and new technology that allows easy invasion of privacy. Americans of Arab descent and Muslim-Americans are feeling the brunt of these dragnets, arbitrary practices. Mr. Nader supports the restoration of civil liberties, repeal of the Patriot Act, and an end to secret detentions, arrests without charges, no access to attorneys and the use of secret “evidence,” military tribunals for civilians, non-combatant status and the shredding of “probable cause” determinations.

Calero: No response as of this writing. “An Iraqi student asked Calero how the U.S.A. Patriot Act has affected his status. Calero said that many of the laws being used today against immigrants and other workers precede the Bush administration or are built on previous legislation passed during the eight years of William Clinton in the White House. Washington has accelerated these attacks on workers’ rights, he stated, as the capitalist system worldwide has entered a prolonged depression.” (http://www.themilitant.com/2003/6711/671104.html)

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