Dear John,

Our military situation room is filled with the most sophisticated technology. Part of what we do with it is to play War Games: If this were to happen or that were to happen, how would we respond militarily?



When I’m president, we’re also going to play Peace Games.



We’re going to start with a goal, and that is a late 21st century in which war has been eliminated. For that is the responsible thing to do. Although not many of us alive now will be alive then, the truth is that if we do not start planning for peace now then none of our grandchildren will be alive either. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”

“Bring ‘em home” is a slogan; it’s not a foreign policy. And the urgent need to keep this or that adversary from developing a nuclear bomb is not a long-term prescription for avoiding a nuclear war. We must consider the possibility that there might be another way.

That “other way” is a new kind of thinking that's emerging in the 21st century, a worldview that gives to peace-creation the same weight as war preparedness. The most important job of an American president in the era now dawning is not someone who bullies the world with our military might, but someone who inspires the world with a sense of unlimited possibilities. We need a president with a higher vision for the future and an agenda for making it happen.

My plan for a US Department of Peace is an important part of that plan. I base my plan for peace on these principles: the amelioration of unnecessary human suffering is the core of conflict-prevention; support for the advancement of democracy comes before the advancement of American corporate interests; and a focus on long-term development, diplomacy and humanitarian aid comes before a focus on military dominance.

Do we need a strong military? Yes. Of course, we do. But you can’t just take medicine; you have to cultivate health. And we can’t just prepare for war. We have to cultivate peace. 

As president, I will do that.

Join with me in returning America to our moral leadership and our ability to inspire the world. Let’s put our country back on track.

God bless America, and God bless the world...

Marianne

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