McCain-Palin on the Bush Doctrine Posted by Moira Whelan

NSN has a new video out on the Bush Doctrine and what McCain and Palin have to say on it.

Comments

[jt calvert]

wow, really well done.

[Peace]

I wish that the Obama campaign or the 527s would use ads like this video.

[Dan Kervick]

I don't know. This just doesn't do much for me at all. The spot is especially weakened because Gibson himself doesn't seem to understand the difference between preemption and prevention. Since preemption is not nearly so controversial in international law as prevention, it's not much of a gotcha.

And again, you guys don't seem nearly as interested as you ought to be in what Palin actually thinks about the doctrine of preventive war than you are in the much more pedantic question of whether she knows that doctrine is sometimes labeled "The Bush Doctrine". This kind of lame and fussy attempt at tripping up a candidate on what is the equivalent of an AP US History question makes us pro-Obama people look a bit silly and sophomoric. Please grow up and stop.

[c.l. ball]

This is weak stuff.

The trouble is that Gibson doesn't know what the Bush doctrine on pre-emption is either.

As I explain in more detail here, the Bush doctrine of pre-emption was that WMD in rogue state or terrorist hands could require pre-emptive strikes without clear evidence of imminent attack on the US. It laid out the possibility that mere possession of such means would justify a US attack.

If NK masses troops on the inner-Korean border, activates fighter-bomber wings, and puts ships to sea, all without notice or explanation when asked, there are legitimate grounds for a pre-emptive attack under international law. The mere fact that NK has nuclear weapons and could put them in a ship-container for LA is not grounds for pre-emption under international law, but is grounds for pre-emption under the Bush doctrine as it was worded in the 2002 NSS.

[bicycle Hussein paladin]

Even assuming she shouldn't be expected to know "the Bush doctrine" by that name, the way she responded, the "in what respect, Charlie," suggests she has a poor grasp over what is involved--it would be one thing if she asked "what particular Bush doctrine do you mean?" But the way she responded made it sound like she doesn't entirely understand what a doctrine in this sense is--Bush, Monroe, whatever. She sounds like she lacks depth. I'm amazed that people here are actually defending her interview.

Also, as to what the doctrine actually is, I thought the Bush doctrine advocated *preventative* attacks, not merely preemptive, meaning attacks on countries that show no evidence of setting up for an attack, only acquiring weapons that could enable them to attack. Stuff like attacking Iran immediately if it acquires a nuclear weapon.

[bicycle Hussein paladin]

Also, it's worth pointing out that this ad isn't meant for people who actually study foreign policy, it's aimed at people who know very little about it and will be influenced more by the tone of the ad, or by reading Palin's uncertainty in her voice and body language, and comparing to McCain, etc.

It would be great if enough people had a deep enough understanding of these topics to make ads like this superfluous, but that is really a separate issue. The campaigns are going to put out ads for the voters as they are. If we don't like how the voters are going to perceive these ads now, complaining about the campaigns in an election year isn't going to help. Working harder to make information about contemporary history and foreign policy available to more people is.

[JDB]

I agree, there are some who criticize the political arguments NSN and other progressives make about policy issues because they're not as nuanced as the critics would like. It always reminds me that the policy wonks should stay in the universities and think tanks during a campaign; they tend to demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of how to approach the average voter.

What was remarkable about the Palin interview was that it was clear she had crammed a series of talking points verbatim. When Gibson asked her about the Bush Doctrine (he would have asked her about the democracy agenda or who's in the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq at this moment), what was telling wasn't her answer but that it was apparent that the question wasn't anticipated by her handlers and a TP wasn't created. The tone of the "In what way, Charlie" response suggested someone stalling for time, trying to put up a good front when in reality she had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

We can all split hairs and show off our knowledge about various policy issues. The fact remains is that the average American voter -- those swing votes conservatives and progressives are courting -- don't get their information from The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, NPR or from national security blogs. They get it from USA Today, the local and national evening news, and their local talk radio shows.

This ad helps paint the picture of Palin's ignorance and the danger it poses in broad strokes for mass effect, just the way a political ad should.

If you want to quibble about your interpretation of what really constitutes the Bush Doctrine and think that campaigns shouldn’t try to boil policy issues to bite-sized political arguments for the masses , there will be plenty of time for you to discuss the nuances of the Bush policy legacy and the proper terminology in the spring semester . . . after McCain and Palin are inaugurated.

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