Democratic party officially merges with Republican party

Dems Delete Support For Kyoto Treaty in new Platform
In an initial draft of its 2004 platform, the Democratic Party has condemned the Bush's administration unilateral foreign policy approach but it has decided not to describe the war in Iraq as a mistake or to call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Half of the 60-page draft, which was released on Saturday, concerns national security. It charges the Bush administration has walked away from more than 100 years of American leadership in the world."

In a shift from the party's 2000 platform, the Democrats have dropped a reference to endorsing the Kyoto treaty on global warming. The platform also calls for the minimum wage to be raised from $5.15 an hour to $7 and for the roll back of tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent. In another shift from the Clinton/Gore years, the platform does not endorse the use of the death penalty.

On Israel, the platform explicitly endorses for the first time an independent Palestinian state but it also supports Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial security measures.