by David E. Sanger
. . . President Bush cut through the debate over who has the right
to enforce United Nations resolutions or overthrow brutal regimes.
His argument boiled down to one precept: In an age of unseen enemies
who make no formal declarations of war, waiting to act after
America's foes "have struck first is not self-defense, it is
suicide."
President Bush thus turned America's first new national security
strategy in 50 years -- the doctrine of pre-emptive military action
against foes -- into the rationale for America's latest war.
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["After helping to build the post-World War II international system,
Dean Acheson, President Truman's secretary of State, titled his
memoirs "Present at the Creation." Now, many analysts on the right
and left agree that the world may be present at the destruction of
the intertwined alliances at the heart of that system."--Ronald
Brownstein, "Washington
on Brink of a New Era," Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2003]
["President Bush has never been shy about injecting his faith into the
public arena - his campaign remark that Jesus Christ was his
"favorite political philosopher" was an early signal. But his rising
use of religious language and imagery in recent months, especially
with regard to the US role in the world, has stirred concern both at
home and abroad.
"In this year's State of the Union address, for example, Bush quoted
an evangelical hymn that refers to the power of Christ. "'There's
power, wonder-working power,' in the goodness and idealism and faith
of the American people," he said."
Evangelical support rests, Land explains, on God's biblical promise to give
the land of Israel to the Jews forever, and on God's statement that he will
"bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews."--Jane
Lampman, "New
Scrutiny of Role of Religion in Bush's Policies," Christian Science
Monitor, March 17, 2003]
[A joint British and American spying operation at the United Nations
scuppered a last-ditch initiative to avert the invasion of Iraq--Martin
Bright, Peter Beaumont and Jo Tuckman, "
British spy op wrecked peace move," The Observer, February 15, 2004]
