The Honorable Elijah Cummings
Democratic National Convention
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

I am Congressman Elijah Cummings, co-chair of the Obama-Biden campaign in the great state of Maryland. Through my positions as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and as chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, I can tell you that there is no greater threat to our national security than a continuation of the policies of George W. Bush.

The Coast Guard's motto is simple yet forceful: "semper paratus," meaning "always ready."

And our Coast Guard is "always ready." Unfortunately, when it comes to our national security, the Bush Administration is not always ready. In fact, their failed policies, which Senator McCain supports, have left us woefully unprepared to confront the dangers of a post-9/11 world.

Was the Bush Administration ready to fight the right war on terror in Afghanistan in pursuit of those who did our nation harm? No. Was the Bush Administration ready to prevent the civil war in Iraq resulting from a disastrous invasion? No. Was the Bush Administration ready to contain a resurgent Russia? No.

And now look at our world: Georgia is in ruins. The Taliban is rejuvenated in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is unstable. Iran is a growing threat. Russian aggression is on the rise. And, new democratic movements in the Ukraine and other nations are at risk, all because the Bush Administration was not ready.

America's influence in the world is reduced, and the threats to our nation are even greater. And, incredibly, Senator McCain wants to continue the failed policies that got us here. We cannot afford eight more years of failure. We need real change, and we can vote for real change by voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Rather than pursuing a Bush-McCain "go it alone" strategy in Iraq, they will bring everyone to the table and end this war, without destabilizing the region. Senator Obama knows today's problems require bipartisan, pragmatic solutions. He teamed with Republican Senator Lugar to fight the proliferation of nuclear weapons. He recommended that we draw down our troops in Iraq to strengthen our presence in Afghanistan, a policy the Bush Administration is now pursuing.

And, importantly, he understands that the greatest threats to our national security come from failure-failure to be "always ready," failure to understand the dynamics of the world stage in the 21st century and, most of all, the failure to properly educate all of our children.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are ready to lead. They are tested, and they are proven, and they will bring us the change we need and the America we deserve. Under their leadership, America, like its Coast Guard, will always be ready.