Joe Sestak, former Navy Vice Admiral and Democratic candidate for US Congress in the PA-7th district, will deliver the Democratic Response to President Bush’s weekly radio address on Saturday, August 19. The topic will be national security.

Sestak’s credentials on national security dwarf those of opponent Curt Weldon’s. 31 years in the Navy. Former head of a Naval carrier battlegroup in Afghanistan. Two years in the White House as Director of Defense Policy on the National Security Council. In his last assignment before retirement, he was the director of the Naval think tank, Deep Blue, which re-imagines the Navy in light of increased threat of terrorist attacks.

Sestak was selected for the address by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Her recognition was both a great honor for a challenger and a sign of how considerable Joe’s credentials are.

The recorded address will be aired at 11:06 AM on NPR. Listeners in the Philly area can also listen on KYW 1060 AM.

According to the Delco Times, the best criticism that Weldon’s campaign manager could come up with was that this showed that Joe Sestak was “owned” by the Democrats.

No, Mr. Puppio, it shows that he IS a Democrat. For years, the Repubicans have been out of step with America on domestic issues. But on the issue of national security, the Republicans had managed to convinced Americans that they were the party of security, mostly by beating on chests and rattling sabers. Democrats have long known that competent foreign policy, vigorous law enforcement, intelligence, and the world’s strongest military needed to fit together. The non-partisan military does its part, but the civilian leadership of Bush-Cheney and the neocon regime has given us all a taste of what ill-conceived foreign policy will get us.

(And in case you didn’t figure that out, it’s a lot of dead people worldwide, mobilized enemies, increased national debt, and diminished world prestige.)