Posted by
m0t0r1zed on Friday, September 12, 2008 11:37:46 AM
meh, i've been out of the loop on reading foreign policy junk, so i dunno if the "bush doctrine" is as formalized as some are claiming. i think it's probably often used among liberals as a pejorative that is critical of preemption and "cowboy diplomacy." some definitions of the "bush doctrine" also include democratization, so it was correct of her to ask for more specificity.
of course, palin's foreign policy credentials are weak. there is nothing in her background or her statements that show a deeper understanding. however, for a veep, she's good enough. i'd rather have her than that idiot blowhard biden who thinks he's smarter than he really is.
and bubba clinton's foreign policy misadventures were the epitome of amateur hour. i remember we almost got into stupid military engagements with n.korea and friggin haiti???? until carter jumped in and bailed bubba's crew out on both occasions. i think they muzzled carter during kosovo - which is partly responsible for russia's anger and decision to invade georgia.
clinton's abysmal foreign policy legacy - the horrible gift that keeps on giving.
obama also exhibits a paucity of foreign policy knowledge, and he seems like a vacillatory person who gives out mixed signals instead of a clear position - which is just a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to foreign affairs. if obama had someone i trusted as veep, i wouldn't mind as much, but he had to pick biden of all people. well, at least he didn't pick wesley clark. praise jebus, that would have been the worst.
also, some are trying to say that the 'bush doctrine' was all the buzz before the war and that she should have been aware of it. no. mostly the pre-invasion talk consisted of "no blood for oil," wmds, tenuous al-qaeda links, "rape rooms," and sanctions. on very rare occasions, a pointy-headed foreign policy wonk might mention preemption and people would be like, "Wuh? Saddam blew up the WTC!!! Bush drinks human blood!!!" anyhoo, she's just a veep with little foreign policy experience. her strength is the domestic side. did anyone really expect her to be henry flippin kissinger? she answered the questions with evasive tact (annoying, but politically the astute thing), and did better than obama on the pakistan question. she passed. not great, but if she had suddenly gone into a riff about deterrence and offense dominance or the peloponnesian war, i would have had an orgasm.
edit: for someone who doesn't use proper punctuation, i sure mouth off a lot.
edit2: in case some might find the last statement sexist or offensive, don't worry. i ran it by joe biden, and he gave it the thumbs up.