Tear down barriers of intolerance, Clyburn urges

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn told the Democratic National Convention that national security involves much more than winning wars.

In a four-minute address aired live tonight on C-SPAN well before prime time, Clyburn accused President Bush's administration of building "a fortress of mistrust and deceit" but said Democratic hopeful Barack Obama's strategy would "not consist of might making right, but of using 'right' to buttress our might."

The most prominent South Carolinian to address the Denver gathering, Clyburn helped flesh out today's theme of national security and laid the groundwork for the night's heavy hitters: former President Bill Clinton and vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden.

Clyburn defined national security as a greater concept than the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan or the threats posed by North Korea or Iran. He didn't mention any of those countries by name, though his House colleagues, Reps. Robert Wexler of Florida and Elijah Cummings of Maryland did in brief speeches shortly before.

Read more in tomorrow's editions of The Post and Courier.