This is absolutely insane:Timesonline.co.uk: (emp add)
PRESIDENT BUSH reaffirmed yesterday his policy of pre-emptive strikes against terrorists, rogue states with weapons of mass destruction and hostile regimes perceived to threaten the United States.
In the first review of national security strategy since the invasion of Iraq three years ago, the Administration — undaunted by the political and military damage that it has since sustained - asserted that the strike-first policy remained the same. The President said: "If necessary . . . under long-standing principles of self-defence, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur — even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack."
This is so far from the stability that's achieved by not striking until attacked (e.g. Mutual Assured Destruction) that it can be seen as nothing more than
a policy designed to encourage war.
That must be what they want. There is no other way to look at it.
posted by Quiddity at 3/16/2006 10:00:00 PM
You couldn't have a doctrine like this before the end of the Cold War. If there were any other country powerful enough to take on the US, saying this sort of thing out loud would leave the rest of the world with only one option- attack the US and neutralize it before it attacks them. The last time anyone could say this sort of thing out loud was during the age of the Roman Empire.
1) News reports begin to surface about Iranian weapons and bombs being smuggled into Iraq to kill U.S. troops. Iran is denouncing and threatening Israel and the U.S.
2) Bush publically reaffirms his preemptive strike policy.
3) Iran suddenly became very, very interested in having talks with the United States about the situation in Iraq and avoiding military conflict.
Notice the connection?
Now, for the first time since the war began, there is an opportunity to reduce or eliminate Iranian interference in Iraq. This could be a huge step towards reducing the violence and bringing the troops back home.
And it came because of power, not appeasement.
