Quote Originally Posted by Torog
In talking about his plans to double the size of the Peace Corps and nearly quadruple the size of AmeriCorps and the size of the nation's military services, he made this rather shocking (and chilling) pledge: "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Without the whole original quote or the rest of what Obama was talking about, it's hard to say exactly what this snippet means, but I DO NOT read it as calling for a national police force! The Peace Corps and AmeriCorps are not police organizations! Ha ha! Haven't you ever heard of these organizations?

It sounds like to me Obama is saying that the real solutions to some of the national security problems we face are not MILITARY solutions. A lot of the extremism we face in the world is fueled by poverty and desperation, and orgainzations like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps work to solve those kinds of problems. So I think the point Obama is making is that if we can promote the kind of problem solving that the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps do, then it will have national security benefits that the military cannot provide.

It's equally important to prevent people from becoming terrorists and extremists as it is to kill them after they become terrorists and extremists.