On message: for 25 years, Gary Hart has delivered the same national security lecture. And he's still right.

• Author: Chollet, Derek
• Position: On Political Books - The Shield and the Clock: The Security of the Commons - Book review

The Shield and the Clock: The Security of the Commons By Gary Hart Oxford University Press, $22.00

It's springtime in a crucial midterm election year. The second-term Republican president is a plain-spoken idealist (considered a visionary by his admirers, and dangerously ignorant by his opponents); he is being whipsawed by global challenges and insider ethics scandals and would prefer to spend more time on his ranch. Yet he cannot disengage. After six years out of power--including a bitter loss in the last presidential campaign--a belligerent Democratic Party is searching for a way forward. This is especially true when it comes to foreign affairs and national security--areas where the Democrats' bitter internal divisions and perceived weaknesses have proved crippling. Frustrated Democrats seek a standard-bearer who can project wisdom about the world and unblinking strength to grapple with its difficult realities; someone with creative ideas and a willingness to take on bold reforms; and politically, a leader who can appeal to voters in the South and the West. Sound familiar? This was the spring of 1986, and many Democrats knew the answer: Their man was Gary Hart.

Twenty years ago, Hart was more than just the presumed Democratic nominee. Some thought that he was the second coming of Bobby Kennedy. With deep experience in national politics, including a strong profile on foreign policy and military affairs, many believed that the Colorado senator would be the next president. But his quick ascent was matched only by his dramatic and depressing fall. Rather than entering the Oval Office, Hart retreated in disgrace to the comfortable wilderness sinecure of many former officials--making good money, dabbling in politics, and writing books.

So, as the Democrats face a reality in 2006 very similar to the one Hart tried to lead them through two decades ago, it is entirely appropriate that he offer ideas again, this time through his pen. In The Shield and the Cloak, Hart returns to a subject that he knows well: America's national security policy. In the 20 years since leaving government, he has continued to play an active role in this debate, whether through his prolific writings (including for this magazine), his co-chairmanship with former Republican senator Warren Rudman of a bipartisan commission that famously warned of the dangers of terrorism before the September 11 attacks, or even as an active member of Sen. John Kerry's national security...