Is Dean "a hawkish Kennedy"? - PNAC thinks so... and they are NERVOUS

[bpilgrim]

No George McGovern

...

Another possibility is that Dean's opposition to the Iraq war has been over-interpreted by his supporters on the Democratic left. They think he rejects the overall course of American foreign policy, just as they do. But maybe he doesn't. They think he's one of them, but his views may not be all that different from those of today's Democratic centrist establishment. When Dean criticizes Bush's foreign policy "unilateralism," he sounds like a policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, not a radical. "There are two groups of people who support me because of the war," Dean told Mara Liasson a few months ago. "One are the people who always oppose every war, and in the end I think I probably won't get all of those people." The other group, Dean figures, simply "appreciates the fact" that he "stood up early" and spoke his mind and opposed Bush while other Democrats were cowed. Dean may not be offering a stark alternative to Bush's foreign policy, therefore, so much as he is simply offering Democrats a compelling and combative alternative to Bush himself. The Iraq war provided the occasion to prove his mettle.

If so, that has two implications, one small and one big. The small one concerns the general election: The Bushies are planning to run against a dovish McGovern, but there's a remote possibility they could find themselves running against a hawkish Kennedy. The bigger implication, which the rest of the world should note well, is that the general course of American foreign policy is fairly stable and won't be soon toppled -- not even by Howard Dean.

more...
http://www.newamericancentury.org/defense-20031117.htm

2nd question...

Where's your canidate in regards to americas new foreign policy of PREVENTIVE WAR - not pre-emptive! which IS legal in some situations, take note DU writers - better known as the BUSH DOCTRINE (read PNAC)

if you don't know... ask



peace

[catherineD]

1. He's said that he supported all wars until this one....

Hardly dovish, don't you think? It presumably includes all those questionable actions of Daddy Bush.

[bpilgrim]

2. yeah... i certainly wanna see a SMACKDOWN of the BUSH DOCTRINE

and right NOW the only one making a strong case is KUCINICH

i hope others start to speak up more as the press and their supporters press them on this CRITICAL issue.

welcome to DU :hi:

peace

[rumguy]

3. good I hope he is a hawkish kennedy

cuz if he's what some people on here think he is, he will lose for sure

[TreasonousBastard]

4. I thought it was fairly well known...

that he only was against THIS particular war.

I never considered him a dove, although I don't think he's as quick on the trigger as Shrub.

Or, at least I hope not.

[bpilgrim]

5. well i hope all our canidates will repudiate the BUSH DOCTRINE

this is the REAL issue not only for 2004 but all our futures.

peace

[Rose Siding]

6. Dean on Preventive War

There is also no doubt that a sovereign state has a right to fight a preemptive war against an imminent threat to its vital national security interests. But I have stated many times that the situation in Iraq did not come close to meeting this criterion. A comprehensive effort to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons, will be a critical priority for a Dean Administration. Success will require a combination of diplomacy and deterrence, with our military strength making our efforts more effective. On the diplomatic side, our ability to enter into long-term steady and reliable alliances and our policy of extended deterrence have made nuclear weapons acquisition unnecessary for many nations. Effective US diplomacy, with international support embodied in the Non-Proliferation Treaty, has reversed proliferation in some countries. Export controls and Cooperative Threat Reduction have denied weapons technology to proliferators. Sound WMD technical intelligence helps to ensure that we have an accurate picture of potential threats. The US also deters potential WMD attacks by our ability to generate an overwhelming and devastating response to their use. Finally, the deployment of defenses against ballistic missile and chemical and biological weapons attack addresses this threat. The Bush Administration has been almost single-minded in its focus on preemptive war as a means to combat proliferation. As President, I would not make this mistake: all means to combat the threat of WMD, cooperative and coercive, multilateral and unilateral, would be employed.
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_foreign_issue_preventivewar

[jpgray]

7. It doesn't matter what Dean really is

It only matters what they make him out to be.

Still, he's a good candidate.

[RBHam]

8. If Dean makes the PNAC nervous...

We've got our man.