WP: Iraq Occupation Erodes Bush Doctrine

[kskiska]

The occupation of Iraq has increasingly undermined the core tenets of President Bush's foreign policy, according to a wide range of Republican and Democratic analysts and U.S. officials.

In going to war 15 months ago, the president's Iraq policy rested on four broad principles: The United States should act preemptively to prevent strikes on U.S. targets. Washington should be willing to act unilaterally, alone or with a select coalition, when the United Nations or allies balk. Iraq was the next cornerstone in the global war on terrorism. And Baghdad's transformation into a new democracy would spark regionwide change.

But these central planks of Bush doctrine have been tainted by spiraling violence, limited reconstruction, failure to find weapons of mass destruction or prove Iraq's ties to al Qaeda, and mounting Arab disillusionment with U.S. leadership.

"Of the four principles, three have failed, and the fourth -- democracy promotion -- is hanging by a sliver," said Geoffrey Kemp, a National Security Council staff member in the Reagan administration and now director of regional strategic programs at the Nixon Center.

(snip)

"There's already been a retreat from the radicalism in Bush administration foreign policy," said Walter Russell Mead, a Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow. "You have a feeling that even Bush isn't saying, 'Hey, that was great. Let's do it again.' "

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10539-2004Jun27.html

[PartyPooper]

1. "Oh, the tangled webs we weave when we first start to deceive."

:eyes:

[Trajan]

2. This should be a clear indication to citizens ...

to DUMP the regime that instituted these failed policies ....

Out with the old, and in with the new ...

[young_at_heart]

3. Just saw a replay of Cheney talking about the "Bush Doctrine"

The arrogance in his voice while discussing other nations and our automatic pre-emption against them if they "harbor" terrorists was astounding.

[bemildred]

4. How do you "erode" horseshit? nt

[struggle4progress]

5. The cowboy preemptively shot himself in the foot. eom

[2cents]

6. "..four principles.." my left foot

It's become glaringly obvious this doctrine is about profit for a "select coalition" of corporate cronies.

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. democracy promotion

This became a "doctrine" after everything else was exposed as a fraud. The whole pack of well connected know-nothing cronies and corporate frauds aka chimps cabinet and advisers are being exposed, for way they are, albeit way to late to do much good.

[Rose Siding]

8. "tainted...failure...setbacks"

-all in the WP. Should feel like a party but too many have died and we're still hogtied to this disaster.

[dusty64]

9. I never would have

considered their foreign policy a "doctrine", but rather them doing whatever they please whenever they want to further their greedy and murderous corporate agenda.