Platform Will Reflect Shifts

Convention delegates are set to ratify a party platform that refers sparingly to the "war on terror," among other marked shifts in tone on national-security issues from four years ago.

In 2004, national security and terrorism had top billing and took up the first half of the Democratic Party platform, which was the first since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The platform promised retaliation for a terrorist attack with "overwhelming and devastating force," making reference to the "war on terror" seven times. It identified winning "the global war against terror" as the primary national-security challenge.

A draft of this year's platform refers to a general "war on terror" just once and argues for policies that "expand our understanding of the circumstances and beliefs that underpin extremism." The primary national-security goal is "ending the war in Iraq responsibly." While the document also makes specific appeals to defeat al Qaeda, it does so by outlining U.S. policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Unlike the convention, which is designed to appeal to a broad audience, the party platform is written primarily for the party base and receives far less attention than prime-time convention speeches. But it offers clues to shifting priorities or a rethinking of stances.

With the economy and energy costs topping voters' concerns, the Democratic platform emphasizes the economy and "renewal." On national security, the platform both "is getting more specific, and spreading the net wider," says Rand Beers, a national-security adviser to John Kerry's 2004 campaign. "The circumstances that we're talking about in the world today, versus 2004, have changed."

The 2004 document, titled "Strong at Home, Respected in the World," aimed to project strength during the first wartime election in more than 30 years. Emphasizing that, Sen. Kerry famously began his acceptance speech with the line: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."

While Sen. Barack Obama's selection of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate adds foreign-policy heft to the Democratic ticket, Sen. Obama faces a difficult balancing act on national security. Polls show Republican candidate John McCain has a significant advantage. Voters favor Sen. McCain on fighting terrorism by 51% to 23%, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

"It's important to convey to the American people that the party and the candidate do not shy away from the tough national-security issues," says Mr. Beers. The question facing the Democrats, he says: "How do you do that when you don't have the governing reins?"

A committee of party stalwarts drafted the platform, but the framework arose from a series of 1,600 meetings with rank-and-file Democrats. "We really didn't look too much at 2004," says Michael Yaki, the national platform director. "When we were out there talking and listening to people, we concluded that, to paraphrase Bill Clinton in 1992, 'It's the economy, energy, and health care, stupid.'"

On social issues, the Democratic platform tries to strike a balance between the party's base and swing voters. "It's about threading the needle as much as you can," says Norman Ornstein of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

The platform includes new language aimed at emphasizing a desire to reduce the number of abortions, while on immigration the party promises immigration reform that is "tough" and "humane." The platform also offers a section on faith and a section on fatherhood, a favorite theme for Sen. Obama.

On gun rights, the platform has evolved considerably since 2000, when in the wake of the Columbine, Colo., shootings, the party highlighted its efforts to pass a series of tough gun measures. In 2004, the party scaled down its plank on that to one line, recognizing "Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms." This year's platform adds that "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne" and respects "different views on this issue." The centrist tilt comes even after the recent slaying of the Arkansas Democratic Party chairman.

The platform calls for an end to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays serving in the armed forces and opposes the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman, but it doesn't specifically make reference to "gay or lesbian" individuals in a section on civil rights.

The platform places considerable attention on women's rights, after a primary battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton left supporters upset over gender bias. Notably, the draft platform affirms support for the Equal Rights Amendment, which had been dropped from the 2004 platform for the first time since the proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing gender equality was introduced in 1972.