My issues with the Democratic Party Platform: Strong at Home, Respected in the World, aka Identity Crisis.
 
from the PREAMBLE
That is the America we believe in. That is the America we are fighting for. That is the America we will build together - one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Boilerplate, I know, but still annoying for it's pandering to the south.

from A STRONG, RESPECTED AMERICA
Time and again, this Administration confuses leadership with going it alone and engagement with compromise of principle. They do not understand that real leadership means standing by your principles and rallying others to join you.

"Standing by your principles??!" How did that get in there when Prince Flip-Flop is at the top of the ticket?

Today, we face three great challenges above all others – first, to win the global war against terror; second, to stop the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; and third, to promote democracy and freedom around the world, starting with a peaceful and stable Iraq.

Did anybody proofread this thing?  How did George Bush's platform sneak in here?!?!

To meet these challenges, we need a new national security policy guided by four new imperatives:... Second, we must modernize the world's most powerful military to meet the new threats.

That's not a new imperative.  That's business as usual!

from DEFEATING TERRORISM
With John Kerry as Commander-in-Chief, we will never wait for a green light from abroad when our safety is at stake, but we must enlist those whose support we need for ultimate victory... Democracy will not blossom overnight, but America should speed its growth by sustaining the forces of democracy against repressive regimes and by rewarding governments that work toward this end.

And this is different from Bush's stance how?

We will attack the exploding opium trade ignored by the Bush Administration by doubling our counter-narcotics assistance to the Karzai Government and reinvigorating the regional drug control program.

Ah, the return of the war on drugs! What next? "Just say no!"

from KEEPING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION OUT OF THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS
There is no greater threat to American security than the possibility of terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction. Preventing terrorists from gaining access to these weapons must be our number one security goal... We must build and lead an international consensus for early preventive action to lock up and secure existing weapons of mass destruction and the material to manufacture more.

And Michael Moore made it seem like only Dubya and friends pulled out the boogeyman.

from PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, PEACE, AND SECURITY
...this Administration went into Iraq without a plan to win the peace. Now this Administration has been forced to change course in order to correct this fundamental mistake. They are now taking up the suggestions that many Democrats have been making for over a year.

Which Democrats? Not Kerry or Edwards, both of whom voted for allowing a war that included no plan to win the peace.

Troops come first. Our helicopter pilots have flown battlefield missions without the best antimissile systems. In a Democratic Administration, that will change. Too many of our nation's finest troops have died in attacks, because tens of thousands were deployed to Iraq without the best bulletproof vests, and there is a shortage of armored vehicles on the ground. In a Democratic Administration, that will change.

Wait a second.  Troops come first?  Seems more like this is about the weapons manufacturers who get to sell the taxpayers all of these goodies to fight unnecessary wars.  Wars where troops will still die, regardless of how up-to-date their equipment is.

The Iraqi people desperately need financial and technical assistance that is not swallowed up by bureaucracy and no-bid contracts, but instead goes directly into grassroots organizations. They need to see the tangible benefits of reconstruction: jobs, infrastructure, and services.

NEWS FLASH: so do the American people!  Let's clean our own house before we start trying to tell others how to live.

Our special relationship with Israel is based on the unshakable foundation of shared values and a mutual commitment to democracy, and we will ensure that under all circumstances, Israel retains the qualitative edge for its national security and its right to self-defense.

[rolls eyes] No comment.

from STRENGTHENING OUR MILITARY
Today's American military is the best in the world, but tomorrow's military must be even better. It must be stronger, faster, better armed, and never again stretched so thin... We will add 40,000 new soldiers – not to increase the number of soldiers in Iraq, but to sustain our overseas deployments and prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts.

Hmmm...where do you think these 40,000 are going to come from? Can you say increased recruiting budgets to target poor, inner-city minorities?

from ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a better, stronger, more independent America. We are committed to achieving energy independence, and we know we can do it... It's this simple: When we see a problem, we roll up our sleeves and solve it. And that's what we pledge to do now.

It continues with some pie in the sky ideas, including "Moving beyond OPEC," but there's not a single reference to a timetable for any of it.  Blah blah blah.

from STANDING UP FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS
Ending corporate welfare. Many American corporations today pay less than ever in taxes because of tax loopholes secured by powerful lobbyists. We will end corporate welfare as we know it. We will eliminate the indefensible loopholes in our tax code— from tax deals that have no purpose but avoiding taxes to the very shelters that Enron used to drive so many lives toward financial ruin. And we will eliminate the corporate subsidies that waste taxpayer dollars and undermine fair competition.

Sounds nice, but it completely contradicts an earlier statement in the platform regarding tax reform: "Under John Kerry and John Edwards, 99 percent of American businesses will pay lower taxes than today."

Frankly, I got bored at this point and tuned out.  41 pages of blather that ultimately say nothing more than business as usual in a slightly more-appealing wrapper.

Yawn! Wake me when they're done with the Florida recount and Bush is declared the winner again. Or better yet, don't bother. A four year nap might be the only way to survive.