Comments on: A Defender, Not A Democracy-Extender?

By: Carl Eric Scott

Carl Eric Scott — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:14:14 +0000

Yeah, Pseudop, the Bush of the “rid the world of tyranny” Second Inaugural was not the only Bush, even after 9/11. The National Security Strategy he put out was much more sober, and much more in line what his administration did in practice. If he and Cheney had been the neo-cons the lore says they were, for one, both Syria and Iran would have come under much greater pressure from the US than they did.

By: Pseudoplotinus

Pseudoplotinus — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:24:52 +0000

Neither was it Bush’s policy until we learned that dysfunctional nations can export their dysfunctions in the form of airplanes hitting buildings on American soil. We tend to forget Bush’s originally stated foreign policy objectives before 9/11 were not remotely neo-conservative in ambition.

By: CJ Wolfe

CJ Wolfe — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:59:02 +0000

On further consideration, there would be a difference if Romney’s principle were to “spread democracy” even in places where it doesn’t make sense, as opposed to just “making the world safe.” I don’t think Romney actually has voiced his support for the principle of spreading democracy like Bush did; I sure hope he doesn’t

By: CJ Wolfe

CJ Wolfe — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:53:58 +0000

My prediction (more of a hope, really) is that Romney is an “Etcha-sketch Neo-con.” A neo-con in the primary, a semi-Congressionalist by the last debate.

There may be something to that title to your blog, a “Defender.” In Dr. Kesler’s recent piece, “Romney’s Dilemmas,” he wrote: “here too [Romney] has an opportunity to separate himself from recent excesses while endorsing the traditional aim of conservative or Reaganite foreign policy: making the world safe for American democracy.” I’m not sure how “making the world safe” is distinct from the strategy of the “recent excesses.” However, perhaps Kesler is onto something and this kind of softer rhetoric could be introduced into Romney’s repertuar

By: Pseudoplotinus

Pseudoplotinus — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:37:10 +0000

Um, how about “Post-Neo-Conservative”

or: “Po-No-Con”?