Obama's party platform vows to stay the course

The party said it would push for wealthy Americans to "pay their fair share" while investing for the infrastructure.

CHARLOTTE: President Barack Obama's party on Tuesday vowed to stay the course during a possible second term, with higher taxes for the wealthy and investment in infrastructure and services.

In an platform set to be adopted later Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention, the party also vowed to end the Afghanistan war by 2014, prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and engage with a rising China.

"America faces a clear choice in this election: move forward toward a nation built from the middle class out where everyone has the chance to get ahead, or go back to the same failed ideas that created the (2007-8 economic) crisis in the first place," the platform says.

The party said it would push for wealthy Americans and corporations to "pay their fair share" while investing in roads, bridges and education, and preserving popular but increasingly expensive health and pension programs.

Mitt Romney's Republican Party, by contrast, has vowed to lower taxes across the board while dramatically reducing the size of government, arguing that regulations and government spending are impeding the economic recovery. The Democratic platform hails Obama's withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq and his aggressive strikes on al Qaeda - including the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 - while vowing to end the Afghanistan war by 2014.

"We have begun the process of bringing our troops home from Afghanistan, including removing 33,000 by September 2012... The president has outlined a plan to end the war in Afghanistan in 2014," it said. It said Obama "is committed to using all instruments of national power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," adding that while he favors a diplomatic solution he would not take military action off the table.  The platform also calls for further engagement with China and across the Asia-Pacific region.

"The world has a profound interest in the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China, but China must also understand that it must abide by clear international standards and rules of the road," it said.

Democrats are meeting this week for three days of parties and speeches aimed at highlighting Obama's achievements and rallying support for his re-election in a November 6 vote expected to turn on the still sluggish US recovery.