I DEEPLY ADMIRE Peggy Noonan and her ruminations today on replacing Dick Cheney certainly have their point, but when she gets to the kicker and asks, "Who would it be? Someone who's a strong supporter of Iraq, and, presumably, the Bush doctrine." I have to admit that last phrase, "the Bush Doctrine" gives me pause.
"The Bush Doctrine" as a phrase is, well, patent nonsense. Think about it and see if you can tell me what the hell it might be in one hundred words or less. I find many things to admire in Bush, but a cohesive, thoughtful "doctrine" isn't one of them. I don't think that either Noonan or the White House could define it either.
UPDATE: Don't get me wrong. I still prefer the tattered "We're just making it up as we go along" Bush "doctrine" to the frothingly insane Gore Doctrine on display in Saudi Arabia this week.
And while I'm being forced to actually think about Al Gore, is it my imagination or does he look more and more like Gore Vidal on goat glands with every passing day?
Al Gore and Gore Vidal: Separated at Cloning?
UPDATE: Jeff Medcalf in my comments enlightens me with what I had forgotten: The Bush doctrine:
Nations that support terrorism will be treated the same as terrorists themselves. Nations that support terrorism and develop nuclear weapons will be preemptively attacked and their regimes destroyed.
Not that they follow it all the time, but it is up in the air as to whether it's lack of conviction or lack of resources.
He's right, but I wish they'd get down to business instead of waiting for the other bomb to drop.
Posted by Vanderleun at February 16, 2006 4:49 PM | TrackBackThe Bush doctrine:
Nations that support terrorism will be treated the same as terrorists themselves. Nations that support terrorism and develop nuclear weapons will be preemptively attacked and their regimes destroyed.
Not that they follow it all the time, but it is up in the air as to whether it's lack of conviction or lack of resources.
That's nice and succinct.
Posted by: Eric Blair at February 17, 2006 6:23 AM"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated to combat spam and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.