The Bush Doctrine - Was Charlie Gibson Wrong? Was Governor Palin's answer actually brilliant?

The media (especially Andrea Mitchell, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann) have criticized Sarah Palin for her answer to Charlie Gibson's question, "Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?" Palin initially answered, "In what respect, Charlie?" She then explained that this is President Bush's world view of ridding the world of extremist terrorism. (See video below). It is my position that Governor Palin;s answer was not only correct, but manifested an understanding of the Bush Doctrine that reveals a depth of knowledge that she possesses that few people (including myself) believed she had until I analyzed this issue. Folks...she's the real deal.

Analysis: The phrase "the Bush Doctrine" was originally coined by Charles Krauthammer in 2001, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist who also coined the phrase "the Reagan Doctrine" in the 1980s. (See "The Reagan Doctrine," by C. Krauthammer, Time, April 1, 1985). According to Krauthammer, the "Bush Doctrine" described the Bush administration policy of unilaterally withdrawing from the ABM treaty and rejecting the Kyoto protocol, which constituted a dramatic shift in foreign policy. (See "The Bush Doctrine: ABM, Kyoto, and the New American Unilateralism," by C. Krauthammer, Weekly Standard, June 4, 2001).

Since then, the Bush Doctrine has developed different meanings. After 9/11, President Bush declared: "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." The Bush Doctrine was the term used to describe this "with us or against us" policy regarding terror. (See "Charlie Gibson's Gaffe," by C. Krauthammer, Washington Post, September 13, 2008).

In 2002, President Bush justified a preemptive attack on Iraq as a country sponsoring and/or harboring terrorists. Id. This is the definition of the Bush Doctrine that Charlie Gibson used when lecturing Governor Palin.

The problem is that Mr. Gibson's definition is not the most current ideation of the Bush Doctrine. The most current ideation is that "the fundamental mission of American foreign policy is to spread democracy throughout the world." Id. This was first enunciated by President Bush in his second inaugural address, when he stated: "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world." This ideation of the Bush Doctrine is a world view and was initiated by defense policy makers such as Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle, who believed that direct and unilateral action by the United States was both possible and justified and that America should embrace the opportunities for democracy and security offered by its position as sole remaining superpower. President Bush ultimately sided with the Department of Defense camp, and their recommendations. (See "What the President Reads," John F. Dickerson, Time, January 10, 2005.)

So, when Governor Palin answered Charlie Gibson's question, she manifested an understanding of the nuances of the Bush Doctrine that are only known by those who know their history. Viewed in this fair and balanced way, Governor Palin's answer was brilliant. What say you, Mr. Olbermann?

Obama has visited ... 57 STATES?!!!

Conservative bloggers are playing this video up under the tag line – “Do you want a guy who thinks there are more than 50 states to be president?” I think this is wide of the mark. For me, the point is that Palin has been skewered in the media for what liberals regard as a frightful answer to the Bush Doctrine, but Obama says he's been to 57 states and gets a pass from the media (except Fox News). See my September 14, 2008 post for an analysis of why Sarah Palin's understanding of the Bush Doctrine was more sophisticated than Charlie Gibson's understanding.

CHARLEY JAMES AND HIS CAMPAIGN TO SMEAR SARAH PALIN

CHARLEY JAMES, a self-professed investigative journalist, "broke" an alleged story that has swept the internet like a virus. Mr. James claims that wrote to an unnamed friend "asking if he knew people (James) could contact for a possible article (about Sarah Palin)." James then claims "[a] short list of names was provided, including Lucille the Waitress." According to James, "Lucille" cleans his friend's house and also holds a waitress job. James spent 10 minutes interviewing "Lucille" over the phone. He did not do anything to qualify her as a credible witness. for example, he doesn;t know her age admitting that she is in her "late 50s or 60s." Incredibly, he violated proper journalistic technique by offering to keep her last name anonymous.

According to "Lucille" (according to James - double hearsay), "Lucille" overheard Governor Palin blurt, "So Sambo beat the B!#ch," a reference to Barack Obama beating Hilary Clinton. James also claims that the waitress overheard Governor Palin refer to Alaskan Eskimos as "Arctic Arabs." http://thepoliticalcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/ (Uhh...Mr. James, did you know that Sarah's husband and his family are Alaskan Eskimo?)

So "who is" Charley James (just in case you had any doubt that he was a dispassionate, unbiased "journalist")?

• Mr. James internet pseudonym is "The_Curmudgeon". He wrote a short essay recently in praise of Bill Cosby and in agreement that black America has not made it, and won't make it. http://www.slate.com/id/2103794/

• Mr. James wrote an essay praising Barack Obama on his acceptance speech on the Obama Campaign's blog. http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/Denver?page=2.

• Mr. James claims in some web posts that he grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in others that he grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Compare http://www.blogger.com/profile/14584026728704830831 with http://www.truthout.org/article/charley-james-i-remember-molly So, which is it?

• James describes himself as a "deranged ex-pat Yank writing from the relative safety of Canada." http://thepoliticalcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/

• He has a sister named Janice, he grew up near Halen's grocery store, he used to work for WCCO-TV, and claims that he was an assistant editor for Business Week (which is not be verified). He frequently publishes his invective commentary critical of the Republican party and its candidates in well-known liberal blogs such as Vadimus Post, The LA Progressive, and his webblog The Progressive Curmudgeon.

• Mr. James also claims that he, not Lorne Michaels and Chevy Chase, developed the concept of pardoy news. http://www.truthout.org/article/charley-james-i-remember-molly
  

• James claims his mom and dad marched for Dr. King in the 1960s and ended up on Nixon's "enemies list." http://www.alternet.org/election08/96887/obama%27s_grand_speech:_reason_for_hope/?comments=view&cID=991457&pID=991344#c991457