Patterico's Pontifications

9/13/2008

Washington Post: Shock! There are Different Versions of the Bush Doctrine

Filed under: 2008 Election,Media Bias — DRJ @ 4:52 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

The Washington Post says there are different versions of the Bush Doctrine and Charlie Gibson’s isn’t the right one:

“Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin seemed puzzled Thursday when ABC News anchor Charles Gibson asked her whether she agrees with the “Bush doctrine.”

“In what respect, Charlie?” she replied.

Intentionally or not, the Republican vice presidential nominee was on to something. After a brief exchange, Gibson explained that he was referring to the idea — enshrined in a September 2002 White House strategy document — that the United States may act militarily to counter a perceived threat emerging in another country. But that is just one version of a purported Bush doctrine advanced over the past eight years.”

Translation: That dumb bunny Palin lucked into the right answer.

I’m waiting for the New York Times and ABC to jump on this with a correction. Unfortunately, I suspect any “correction” would be that Palin unintentionally got one right.

— DRJ

30 Responses to “Washington Post: Shock! There are Different Versions of the Bush Doctrine”

  1. The below was copied and pasted from the comments section at The Volokh Conspiracy. I cannot vouch for it’s accuracy, but if true, well judge for yourself:

    … It may be instructive to see how Obama was “grilled” by Charlie Gibson during his recent interview.

    Obama interview:

    How does it feel to break a glass ceiling?
    How does it feel to “win”?
    How does your family feel about your “winning” breaking a glass ceiling?
    Who will be your VP?
    Should you choose Hillary Clinton as VP?
    Will you accept public finance?
    What issues is your campaign about?
    Will you visit Iraq?
    Will you debate McCain at a town hall?
    What did you think of your competitor’s [Clinton] speech?

    Palin interview:
    Do you have enough qualifications for the job you’re seeking? Specifically have you visited foreign countries and met foreign leaders?
    Aren’t you conceited to be seeking this high level job?
    Questions about foreign policy
    -territorial integrity of Georgia
    -allowing Georgia and Ukraine to be members of NATO
    -NATO treaty
    -Iranian nuclear threat
    -what to do if Israel attacks Iran
    -Al Qaeda motivations
    -the Bush Doctrine
    -attacking terrorists harbored by Pakistan
    Is America fighting a holy war? [misquoted Palin]

    Now it’s obvious in comparing the questions that Gibson was making sure that Obama could not possibly fluff the questions. He was basically allowing Obama to take a victory lap.

    That is why I think the best interview that has been done so far is by a pastor, Rick Warren on the Saddelback forum. Both get the same questions and neither one gets to hear what the other said.

    If the MSM were ever to do that you can be sure that the questions are more informative.

    bendover (cd627d)

  2. I guess McCain went in search of the most rotten and evil human being he could find for his running mate. She probably grows fangs during the full moon, too.

    toadski (57af62)

  3. toadski, was that supposed to be satire?

    SPQR (26be8b)

  4. It means that the media is reacting essentially the same way they’d react if the Republican Vice Presidential pick was Kali incarnate.

    Al (b624ac)

  5. Krauthammer hit this one out of the park today. He was the first person to use the phrase “Bush Doctrine” and then in his article he went through about eight different variations thereof that developed over the years. When I saw Charlie Hitler ask the question I wondered to myself, what does he mean by the Bush Doctrine, 1) preemptive strike when threatened or 2) those who house terrorists will be treated as terrorists. I didn’t know that there were about 8 different formulations of the Bush Doctrine, I was only aware of the two. But still, that was a low blow, cheap shot by Charlie. Also, much of the ABC editing was very biased and a clear attempt to make Sarah look bad. The great thing about this is that the truth will get out and there will be great backlash against the press and the Dems.

    J. Raymond Wright (0440ef)

  6. Well, the WaPo has its own audience, which I suspect leans heavily to the inside the Beltway crowd, so I think they can be forgiven for that “Inadvertently or not.” (After all, Governor Palin is an outsider to them.) And after that phrase, the article turns into a discussion piece on the definition of the “doctrine.” With, of course, the usual swipes at President Bush.

    I guess the most interesting graf to me is this one, which seems to indicate that the WaPo is aware that something is going on outside the echo chamber:

    This debate may ordinarily be little more than cocktail chatter for the foreign policy establishment, but political blogs were buzzing yesterday over Palin’s entire interview with Gibson, including the confusion about the doctrine.

    My translation: “Charlie Gibson may wow them in the big city, but maybe he should have thought about how this is going to play in Peoria.”

    Maybe that’s progress?

    Marco (dbeec2)

  7. Charlie Hitler
    .
    ROTFL. Or Charlie Goebbels.

    cboldt (3d73dd)

  8. Intentionally or not, the Washington Post is run by morons.

    Philip (f1ffa3)

  9. toadski, was that supposed to be satire?

    Comment by SPQR — 9/13/2008 @ 5:27 pm

    Getting harder and harder to tell this election cycle, innit, with the PDS at such high levels?

    Sarah doesn’t need fangs BTW. ‘Cause she prefers to rip her wolf targets apart with bullets shot from a moving plane. *sssssssssScorch*!

    no one you know (1ebbb1)

  10. no one you know, Chuck Norris fears Sarah Palin.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  11. no one you know, Chuck Norris fears Sarah Palin.

    Comment by SPQR — 9/13/2008 @ 7:18 pm

    He bows down to her pwnzrness, oh yes he does.

    Seriously, she’s so much better on her feet than Obama (since everyone’s determined to compare our # 2 to their # 1). I have yet to hear an “uh” out of her mouth with an unscripted line, as opposed to Senator Ummm.

    Personally can’t wait for the vice presidential debates. I want to witness her sweet smile firsthand as she trumps all Biden’s attack-dog debating, then cheerfully tosses a throwaway joke about his “Well, she’s good looking” comment at the end.

    no one you know (1ebbb1)

  12. “no one you know”, I expect she’ll clean Slow Joe’s clock too.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  13. “no one you know”, I expect she’ll clean Slow Joe’s clock too.

    Comment by SPQR — 9/13/2008 @ 7:30 pm

    Somebody’s got to, what with him apparently having no idea “what time it is.” Something tells me that after the debates, he will though.

    Would lay good money that Biden will either end up stuttering at one of her comebacks or, given his attack-dog rep, take some cheap shot – intentional or unintentional – which will make him look like a monumentally rude cad. Hope it’s the latter, since cheap shot newsbites are harder to keep off the front page news the next day.

    no one you know (1ebbb1)

  14. Is Biden on the trail? You never hear about him unless he’s telling a wheel-chair bound veteran to stand up. How big are his crowds? What states is he going to?

    Slow Joe Biden – internaional man of mystery.

    red (0283e2)

  15. I noticed that at Obama’s rally in New Hampshire today there were Obama/Biden signs prominently displayed right in front of the podium . . . kind of looked like a desperate “Hey, we have a VP nominee too!” ploy.

    Icy Truth (ab2f41)

  16. Meranwhile back at the NY Lying Sack Of S*it, they editorialize as follows:

    Her answers about why she had told her church that President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq was “God’s plan” did nothing to dispel our concerns about her confusion between faith and policy. Her claim that she was quoting a completely unrelated comment by Lincoln was absurd.

    So, no, I don’t expect them to issue corrections any time soon.

    Kevin Murphy (0b2493)

  17. One wonders when asking people to vote for him, to care for the welfare of your nation, that no
    questions are asked on the welfare of the
    half brother living in poverty?
    Not a good example.OBAMA

    C. Keane (f2e146)

  18. Comment by C. Keane — 9/14/2008 @ 1:11 am

    Right. And he still had the absolute GALL to use the line “I am my brother’s keeper” at his Invesco Stadium speech.

    no one you know (1ebbb1)

  19. Sarah Palin ought to decline to debate Talkin’ Joe and insist that Obama come out from behin the protective skirts of his handlers and face her. If he’s got the stones.

    Obama talks and acts like she’s his opponent anyway, so why shouldn’t she call him out as a Lilliputian gutter snipe who slings insults and spreads mean-spirited gosip from a safe distance, but isn’t man enough to come out and face her directly.

    Ropelight (921f6e)

  20. Her answers about why she had told her church that President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq was “God’s plan”…

    So, victory is failure? Thanks for clearing that up, Pinch. It’s about time you came right out and said so.

    Pablo (99243e)

  21. #19 Ropelight:

    Obama talks and acts like she’s his opponent anyway,

    Which is why it’s important to allow her to respond to him up UNTIL the debates, but vitally important the she debate Biden, and not Obama in order to drive home that Obama is running against McCain~but so far, hasn’t been able to measure up to the number two slot on the Republican ticket.

    And from the debates until election, the McP ticket needs to have Mc out in front up until the election; again, to drive home how badly Obama bin Biden™ have mismanaged their campaign, and how unready they are to face real enemies, you know, that would like to blow them up and sh*t, as compared to political enemies like McP, who just want them to return to their day jobs and leave the real work to grown ups.

    EW1(SG) (84e813)

  22. At the rate the MSM is going, they are going to turn what was once a close election into a 300+ electoral victory for mccain/palin.
    A little advice to the MSM (which they are to stupid to take, thank god)when you find yourself in a hole, put the friggin shovel down!!!

    james conrad (6bb6e6)

  23. “Thanks for clearing that up, Pinch.”

    If Pinch and Kristol began paying more attention to the actual quality of their product, perhaps they’d be able to stem the tide of red ink for a change.

    Dmac (e639cc)

  24. Pablo, according to noted theologian Jeremiah Wright, “God damn America” is in the Bible. Maybe part of the plan to damn us involved having us invade Iraq and fail?

    Xrlq (62cad4)

  25. EW1(SG),

    Of course I see your points, they have merit, but in my experience it’s best to take on cowards straight up. Call ’em out, and knock ’em on their cans. Preferably in front of the biggest audience you can gather.

    No pussyfootin’ around, no trash talking-leave that to the other guys, just a few simple, straight shots to the chops usually puts things in the proper perspective. The more people who see it, the less likely jerks are likely to try pushing you around.

    This is similar to my take on foreign policy: If threatened by a nation, organization, or individual who has or is attempting to obtain weapons of mass destruction, the proper course for the USA is to attack, immediately, directly, and violently with all the force you can muster.

    It’s a difficult policy to defend in the UN, or on the pages of the NY Times, but it keeps our nation safe and that’s worth taking a little crap from pipsqueeks.

    Ropelight (921f6e)

  26. #25 Ropelight:

    No pussyfootin’ around,

    I agree, but the reason I stressed that stratagem is because you and I have already made up our minds: but the market the campaigns are playing to now are only just beginning to look at them.

    That’s why it’s so important to allow Gov Palin to visibly take on Sen Obama now, then pull the switcheroo from our Number Two to our Number One gun in a few weeks when the spotlights are on and EVERYBODY is watching, even the otherwise politically comatose.

    EW1(SG) (84e813)

  27. OK sailor, now I get the smart of your position. I’m on-board, the old switcheroo works for me.

    It’s just that I’m and old dog and I’ve got an itchy trigger finger and I don’t like to give the enemy any time or any chances. I hit ‘um as hard as I can, as quick as I can get in position. It’s ususally the best policy, and helps keep the peace.

    Ropelight (921f6e)

  28. I think too much is being made of this from both camps. She answered it in general terms correctly. In my opinion, Gibson’s demeanor was more off putting than the supposed “gotcha”.
    Perhaps because I was in uniform until last year I paid more attention to things like this. I don’t claim to be a rocket scientist but the “Bush doctrine” was not an unknown idea. Most of us summed it up as “strike before we get struck”. I can recall Sec Rice mentioning it in more than a couple of interviews.
    However, we didn’t have the four focus areas of the NSA 2002 report memorized.
    If Palin wants to be more effective with her answers she needs to develop the sound bite answer for some of these things.

    Let it go. Palin did fine and harping too much on the subject makes it seem as if the GOP is getting too whiney like their Dem counterparts.

    I think you should look for the first McCain-Obama debate in which McCain delivers the haymaker along the lines of “Sen Obama you have spent the last 35 days trying to show how you have more experience than Gov Palin yet have studiously avoided comparing our experience. You do remember you are running for Pres don’t you?”

    voiceofreason2 (780010)

  29. WASHINGTON COMPOST,WASHINGTON COMPOST,WASHINGTON COMPOST RRRAAWWKKKKK RRRAAAWWWKKK

    Krazy Kagu (95018d)

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