The Bush Doctrine

Here's an excerpt from Charlie Gibson's interview Sarah Palin. She appears to have no idea what the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war is, and by the end of the interview, seems to endorse Obama's position on strikes in Pakistan, not McCain's.

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James Fallows comments on why Palin's lack of understanding about the Bush Doctrine matters:

Sarah Palin did not know this issue, or any part of it. The view she actually expressed -- an endorsement of "preemptive" action -- was fine on its own merits. But it is not the stated doctrine of the Bush Administration, it is not the policy her running mate has endorsed, and it is not the concept under which her own son is going off to Iraq.

How could she not know this? For the same reason I don't know anything about European football/soccer standings, player trades, or intrigue. I am not interested enough. And she evidently has not been interested enough even to follow the news of foreign affairs during the Bush era.

A further point. The truly toxic combination of traits GW Bush brought to decision making was:

1) Ignorance

2) Lack of curiosity

3) "Decisiveness"

That is, he was not broadly informed to begin with (point 1). He did not seek out new information (#2); but he nonetheless prided himself (#3) on making broad, bold decisions quickly, and then sticking to them to show resoluteness.

We don't know for sure about #2 for Palin yet -- she could be a sponge-like absorber of information. But we know about #1 and we can guess, from her demeanor about #3. Most of all we know something about the person who put her in this untenable role.

AND HERE, PALIN SOFT PEDALS HER FAITH, essentially varnishing over her previous statements about America following "God's plan" in Iraq with a bunch of secular references clearly designed to blunt concern about her fundamentalist views.

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