Boot: Bring Back The Bush Doctrine, Attack Iranian And Pakistani Nuclear Facilities
Boot: Bring Back The Bush Doctrine, Attack Iranian And Pakistani Nuclear Facilities
Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and prominent neoconservative Max Boot has surfaced on Foreign Policy magazine’s website this week, bemoaning the unpopularity of the Bush Doctrine despite its disastrous results in Iraq.
Taking advantage of hindsight, Boot says that if only the world had taken seriously warnings about Hitler’s Germany and later al Qaeda, the catastrophes that they created could have been avoided. Boot then refers to two bipartisan congressional reports that have issued stern warnings regarding terrorist and nuclear threats from Iran and Pakistan. Claiming that diplomacy is failing in Iran and the “current approach” in Pakistan’s tribal areas is not working, Boot concludes that only one option remains — attack:
For all the empty talk of “tough diplomacy,” the uncomfortable reality is that there is only one option that in the short term is likely to forestall Iran from going nuclear: airstrikes on its atomic installations. [...]
“Preemption lite” — the current approach of picking off terrorist leaders [in Pakistan] with armed Predator drones — can help to weaken and slow the jihadists, but it can hardly defeat them. That would, in all likelihood, require an invasion of western Pakistan, perhaps accompanied by preemptive airstrikes on Pakistan’s nuclear installations.
Recognizing the enormity of his plan, Boot backs off slightly on Pakistan, calling his idea “unthinkable” and one that would “make even the most hawkish of analysts turn dovish.” But recalling the threats ignored from Hitler and bin Laden, he adds, “we lack the imagination to see the costs of inaction.”
Given that Defense Secretary Robert Gates (whom President-elect Obama has asked to stay on in his administration) has said that war with Iran would be “disastrous” and “the last thing we need,” it is probably safe to assume that he feels the same way about attacking Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.
Nonetheless, it’s also probably safe to assume (thankfully) that no one in the Obama administration will be taking advice from a guy (Boot) who once erroneously claimed Iran was training Al-Qaeda in Iraq, compared walled Baghdad to gated American communities, supported the Pentagon’s war propaganda program, thinks “bellicose aura[s]” achieve peace, and just knew (how, no one knows) that Iranian leadership hoped that Obama would win last November.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Only if this freak is in the first wave going into Tehran.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:50 pmIt’s not “preemptive”. It’s “preventive”, and that’s the supreme war crime.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:52 pmIf this chickenhawk wants a war so bad, let him be the 1st to die in it.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:53 pmUnbelievable. With our military already so overextended we can’t cover the insanity we have already started there are actually people who think we should take on more?
Maybe we should just start nuking every facility in the world that might be capable of someday producing bombs? Except for our allies, of course. And they wouldn’t complain because we are always right?
I think Boot played Doom a couple too many times.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:56 pmThe World will apply the Bush Doctrine. Yes illegally invading Iraq and murdering 1 million people as is the US/Israel plan to do the same in Palestine. Israel/US have Nuclear Weapons to use if necessary. At lease the United States knows the results of a bomb like that when we bombed Japan with our Atom Bomb. The United Nations is powerless as it never stopped the Bush Administration nor did they charge them with War Crimes. Now any country can invade another using the Bush Doctrine. Iran and North Korea now have reason to develope their own Nuclear Bomb in fear of being attacked by Israel. Smart more on Israel’s part to do the masscacre until Obama takes office. Yes Obama will not support the criminal actions of Israel, if only McCain/Palin had won Israel would have been able to move on and take out Egypt and Lebanon with it’s gold to bomb Iran.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:57 pmI’ll bet he thinks that playing “Battleship” qualifies him as a military tactician.
No thanks, you filthy chickenhawk *bleep*hole. You can keep your Armageddon.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:57 pmMax Boot? Wasn’t his grandfather the guy who advised Hitler to attack Stalingrad?
January 8th, 2009 at 4:59 pmBoot = idiot…
January 8th, 2009 at 5:00 pmi think someone ought to tell this assclown that it was with dummya’s blessing why pakistan has nukes.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:00 pm“I know, let’s just attack everybody in the whole world at once! They’d never expect it, and once we destroyed them all, there would be peace on Earth! EVERYBODY GO LONG!”
Another Hitler yadda yadda, check.
Diplomacy “is failing,” check.
Attack our own ally (Pakistan) – whoa, that’s a first!
This guy is the very definition of moral evil in international affairs.
And diplomacy doesn’t fail. Neocons fail at diplomacy. And at life.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:01 pmBoot concludes that only one option remains — attack:
I wonder what other options he wrangled over before reaching this oh-so-difficult choice?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:01 pmThe problem with this analysis is that it is stupid.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:02 pm“prominent neoconservative”
January 8th, 2009 at 5:03 pmtalk about an oxymoron
Why all the hate?
This is just Chickenhawk Boots’ idea to pull America and the rest of the world out of recession. If we start WWIII, we’ll start the most massive job program ever – think of all those draftees needing guns, uniforms, medical care, Humvees…all the great new opportunities for Hallibu – oops, America to grow!
Either that, or everyone will be too busy dodging bombs to worry about not having a job.
Idiots.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:04 pmI’m reminded of the prison scene from Hancock last summer with ole Max Boot (come on, he had to change his name to that) and John Bolton because this stuff sounds like a colonoscopy report.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:07 pmWhy isn’t Boot in Iraq right now?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:07 pmSorry, but sanity has prevailed and we no will no longer have a President who thinks it’s a good thing to shoot first and ask questions later.
I am so looking forward to when these people become totally irrelevant.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:08 pmbecause they shoot guns and throw bombs, Zooey
January 8th, 2009 at 5:09 pmMax Boot was the foreign policy advisor to John McCain during his 2008 bid for President. We, as a country, rejected that candidate and that policy, why should we accept it now?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:10 pmMax is just insane right-wing war-monger. They are all Nazis.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:10 pmah, but Bilbo, everyone knows an irrelevant never forgets.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:11 pmI nominate Herr Boot to lead the first wave to hit the beach.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:13 pmCould someone please tell me how these wars are protecting the contsitution of the US????
Please someone tell me??? There are just over 190 countries in this world, the US has military bases in 130 of them.
Who the bully on the block???? If we minded our own business we wouldn’t have these problems. Does France, England, China, India or other nations have these problems. NO!!!
The US spends just over $750billion on it’s military budget….that’s more then every other country in this world COMBINED!!!! Yes COMBINED!!! .
We don’t need tax cuts or new taxes. We need to redistribute our taxes and we need to mind our own business period!!!
January 8th, 2009 at 5:13 pm::::::::yawn::::::::
January 8th, 2009 at 5:15 pmanother member of the neoclown 101st chairborne spouting nonsense.
What do these neocon, war monger, chickhawks have in common besides an unquenchable blood thirst for war, war and more war?
William (Billy) Kristol
January 8th, 2009 at 5:16 pmPaul Wolfowitz
Fred Kagan
Donald Kagan
Max Boot
Richard Perle
Norman Podhoretz
I “Scooter” Libby
Elliot Abrams
Frank Gaffney
What do these neocon, war monger, chickhawks have in common besides an unquenchable blood thirst for war, war and more war?
William (Billy) Kristol
Paul Wolfowitz
Fred Kagan
Donald Kagan
Max Boot
Richard Perle
Norman Podhoretz
I “Scooter” Libby
Elliot Abrams
Frank Gaffney
My guess would be they’re all flaming arseholes
January 8th, 2009 at 5:20 pmthey hopefully get to put unemployed on their resume soon?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:23 pmor even better, get to have their mail forwarded and vetted at a federal penitentiary?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:23 pmDon’t forget North Korea! Bush’s NSA Stephen Hadley alleged North Korea is enriching uranium.
Eight years of Bush turned the world into a dangerous place. “There will be more wars, and we’ll start ‘em.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703530.html?hpid=sec-nation
January 8th, 2009 at 5:23 pmWilliam (Billy) Kristol
Paul Wolfowitz
Fred Kagan
Donald Kagan
Max Boot
Richard Perle
Norman Podhoretz
I “Scooter” Libby
Elliot Abrams
Frank Gaffney
Ignore the fact that they’re all repugnant Zionists.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:26 pmHoodathunk Says:
because they shoot guns and throw bombs, Zooey
January 8th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
That’s why the warmongering f uck needs to be there.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:28 pmDemocrats have their noses so far up Israel’s behind it could be termed a colonoscopy. Iran is next. Several Western ex-defense leaders issued warnings today.
U.S. Sec. of Defense William Perry did so in NYT. He worked for Clinton.
An Israeli military intelligence chief sounded the alarm on Iran in the Jerusalem Post.
Tony Blair did likewise on December 20. This is much bigger than red and blue. It’s the West.
Gaza’s on, Iran’s next
January 8th, 2009 at 5:28 pmYep WW3 to jump start the economy War is a very poor economic stimulus cause the things manufactured get destroyed Obama’s plan of infra-structure is much more long lasting albeit slower to cause a response Ah but I preach to the choir
January 8th, 2009 at 5:29 pmI think I know why Boot makes such ridiculous statements. When the real thing happens, people say “well, it could’ve been worse. We didn’t bomb Pakistan.”
Psy ops are on. There is a coordinated effort to move the population to support war and minize whatever happens once it’s begun.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:30 pmObama Nominee Admiral Dennis Blair Aided Perpetrators of 1999 Church Killings in East Timor (Part II)
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/7/obama_nominee_admiral_dennis_blair_aided
New Trouble for an Obama Nominee: Admiral Dennis Blair Aided Perpetrators of 1999 Church Killings in East Timor
January 8th, 2009 at 5:31 pmhttp://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/6/dennis_blair_obamas_nominee_for_director
It seems to me that war sort of got out of hand when the leaders who thought it a good idea decided they didn’t have to lead the charge. I believe it is time for Congress to pass a bill that requires all citizens who think a war is a good idea should be drafted and put in the first wave. This includes Presidents, Congressfolk, pundits and anyone who says they think it is needed.
It is past time for them to put their money where their mouth is.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:32 pmApparently Maxi hasn’t heard about the election results yet. Bomb, bomb, bomb McCain lost.
These pigs need to find a way to make money other than wars fought by others. Perhaps they could get a real job.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:35 pmBlow me Antichrist.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:36 pmThat would require he remove his head from his arse.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:38 pm“Chevron in the White House” (General James Jones)
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/12/3/amy_goodmans_new_column_chevron_in_the_white_house
REAL PROGRESSive News
January 8th, 2009 at 5:38 pmTheAntichrist Says:
January 8th, 2009 at 5:41 pm“REAL PROGRESSive News”
then by all means, go pester them. no one here will miss you.
Why isn’t this real terrorist in Guantanamo.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:41 pmNot unless they bring back the draft long enough to draft this azzwipe and Jonah Goldberg to serve some time under fire. This chickensh*t chickenhawk deserves to hear some incoming rounds to better understand his desires.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:42 pmOnce a Russian, always a Russian. Send him back to Moscow.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:42 pmOakland is at war right now cuz of a bart station police shooting. why go to Pakistan when you’ve got a fully armed citizenry ready to explode in your own back yard
January 8th, 2009 at 5:45 pmThe Antichrist is no more real than the regular one…
January 8th, 2009 at 5:46 pmTheAntichrist
Excellent posts. Rub this flawed choice in our faces. I voted for Obama in the general but voted for Kucinich in the primaries. Kucinich right now, this minute should be president-elect of the United States.
It’s amusing to see all of you locksteppers defend Dennis Blair–a man who disobeyed an order from President Clinton to sever all goodwill toward a leader who was later charged with war crimes. Clinton erred in not removing Blair and giving him a do-over. Look how many people died in Indonesia while Blair dragged his feet.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:56 pmDo you think we could get the $10,000,000,000 Bush gave Pakistan back beforehand?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:59 pmYou’re going to try that load of lies again Saddler aka CompTROLLER. That’s funny but you don’t get to anoint the next president. He has to be voted on by other people too. We all loved Kucinich here but that’s not enough to get him elected is it Einstein?
January 8th, 2009 at 6:03 pmThe Bush doctrine really has brought out the very best minds that America has to offer, huh? All war, all the time. Looking at the Neocon (PNAC) listing, I couldn’t find anyone who had worn a uniform in combat. Can you find any of these chickenhawks who had actually FOUGHT in a war?
January 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pmSo if only the US had invaded Germany before it was “too late”?
Funny, I seem to recall Roosevelt having a very hard time selling that idea to Congress at the time.
Gee I wonder which Party and/or group objected the most to doing something about Hitler ?
Prescott Bush was one, if I remember correctly. ,
January 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pmfor my money, Kucinich would have made an excellent Secretary of State. Hilary might be good but Dennis would be better.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:09 pmI think it would be a good idea if the Obama administration press Iran to accept international monitors for their program. I don’t trust the Iranians – they are violent religious ideologues – but I don’t think a military strike is going to resolve the issues we have with their theocratic government.
It most certainly does not help that Iran has been involved in Iraq, with attacking our troops and supporting conservative Shiites in the south of that country.
But Iran’s government is currently in a bad fix – their economy isn’t doing well, and there are lots of small events of resistance against their government that we never hear about. They must maintain their government by force, otherwise they’d have a popular revolt. The ruling clerics and the Iranian parliament definitely do not see eye-to-eye.
We should do what we can to support their democratic movement and let their government die a natural death. Most of the young, Western-leaning population would embrace a secular democracy if given a chance; I don’t think military action, though, would further that cause, but only garner support for the ruling mullahs.
Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 led to improved relations between the US and China, which, as a nation, has drastically improved since the 70’s. Perhaps a similar attitude is needed by Obama. The US doesn’t have to drop its criticism of Iran’s poor human rights record, but we can also find multilateral means to bring this country into the 21st century and the family of nations.
We dealt with the Soviets for years – I believe we can handle Iran without a need for military action (of our already over-stretched armed forces).
January 8th, 2009 at 6:11 pmShayne Says:
You call me a controller (for some odd reason capitalizing the last seven letters) in one sentence but tell me I don’t have the ability to single handily select the next president in the other? Which is it, Reaganista?
You support the same president who placed a venture capitalist to oversee the SBA.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:12 pmHoodathunk Says:
for my money, Kucinich would have made an excellent Secretary of State. Hilary might be good but Dennis would be better.
For the life of me I don’t understand why Obama would appoint someone who insinuated he be taken out (Bobby Kennedy reference) just so she could wrap up the nomination she thought was hers by Super Tuesday. Lincoln was a guy who kept his enemies close, but I think Obama is reading too much into him.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:20 pmPsychologists call this “authoritarian aggression.” Our country has been ruled for the past eight years by people suffering from a major personality disorder. And they think they’re geniuses!
January 8th, 2009 at 6:25 pmSeig Heil, Max!
January 8th, 2009 at 6:26 pmIt would be interesting to know Boot’s biography. He was born in Moscow in 1969, but I haven’t found anything regarding when his family moved to the U.S., except that he was raised in L.A. I know this is likely to sound really weird, but I’m old enough to remember the leadership of Russia telling the U.S. that’d take us down from the inside out.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:27 pmMyself I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a special blank added to the job application forms used by the White House for the past 8 years that asked if you had ever been treated for or suspected of having Dissocial Personality Disorder. Had to be there for them to collect such a large group of them.
It was probably right before the question about what are fly wings for.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:30 pmand Baculus, “they are violent religious ideologues” is sort of the pot calling the kettle black.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:32 pmThe Bushies are going to die hard… I guess they’re mainly afraid that the gigantic military expenditures we’ve incurred since Eisenhower warned us about them may be diminishing, if ever so slightly… But there is real insanity in this call to “Bring Back” a doctrine that hasn’t even yet gone away
January 8th, 2009 at 6:47 pmwow…remind me again how al-queda are like the nazis, other than the fact they dont have a state, or for that matter tanks, planes, heavy weapons, or really anything that could remotely threan us as a nation..
January 8th, 2009 at 6:56 pmCan we hand Boot a helmet and a bullhorn (no gun required) … and just drop him somewhere fun, like Kandahar, Basra, or Mosul?
Cheers,
January 8th, 2009 at 7:10 pmAnyone that talks about Al Qaida in the same breath as Nazi Germany is not someone to be taken seriously. This Boot guy is a fool trying to rationalize his failed world view. His ego won’t let him believe he was wrong.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:16 pmWow. When is someone going to introduce a 12-step program for (recovering) Bushies?
“My name is Max Boot, and I’m a fascist.”
…
“My name is Alberto Gonzalez, and I’m a fraud.”
January 8th, 2009 at 7:24 pmI’ve never heard of Das Boot before now. Why are all of these neocons crawling out from under their rocks now of all times?
.
TheAntichrist Says:
(look at my link! look at my link!)
Please stop trying to derail the thread. We’re too busy throwing rotten tomatoes at this here neocon.
.
Saddler Says:
Kucinich right now, this minute should be president-elect of the United States.
I have a fondness for Kucinich, but – BWAAA HAA HAA HAAH! C’mon, really? Exactly what kind of Democratic process could you possibly set up to produce such a result?
.
Saddler Says:
It’s amusing to see all of you locksteppers defend Dennis Blair
Nobody else even mentioned Dennis Blair. Now quit trying to derail the thread.
.
Saddler Says:
For the life of me I don’t understand why Obama would appoint someone who insinuated he be taken out (Bobby Kennedy reference)…
She didn’t insinuate any such thing. Quit trying to derail the thread.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:30 pmHoodathunk, please explain further. EVERYONE in government is not the Bush administration, after all.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pmThe Bush Doctrine is a criminal doctrine. This doofus belongs in prison with the other complicit RepubliCons.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:46 pmGive Max the boot!! Sorry about the pun. It was obvious but too easy to pass up.
Why is it all the neocons want to bomb? What warped pleasure do they get out of seeing living things die? What happens in their formative years that makes them embrace the doctrine of death? That must be the Bush doctrine he speaks of. They go through life kicking dogs, and small animals. Then they graduate to human beings and country’s.
You see, there is something called evolution. Go to the dictionary. Next to the word death you will find a picture of a conservative.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:36 pmMax Boot recently reviewed a book (on war, of course) in the Sunday New York Times Book Review. I saw his name and was taken aback, it’s memorable and not in a good way, but he managed to not come off like a raving warmonger. Color me relieved! The NYTBR has shown a disturbing tilt towards reviewing crackpot AEI alumnae’s book though,- makes sense since they buy so many of them in bulk to drive them up the NYT chart, with that funny little dagger next to them- “(suspicious) bulk sales reported”. ALL right-wing books on the chart have that dagger, and this is a scandal I’d love to see exposed.
Great to see a photo of big tough Max Boot- like a lot of typewriting warriors, keyboard commandoes with war fantasies on the brain, he’s actually a nebbishy white man with hair-loss issues and God knows what else going on. Why are the fake tough guys such doughy wimps in reality?
January 8th, 2009 at 9:38 pmIntentionally destroying nuclear facilities is a high-level war crime.
Max Boot is advocating for the US to commit a war crime afgainst every living thing on the planet!
January 9th, 2009 at 12:07 amHe was an advisor to John McCain during his campaign for the Presidency. That’s a bullet dodged.
He wrote a book called War Made New. Also one called The Savage Wars of Peace. These seem to be historical studies of warfare.
You know, if you asked someone who collected toothbrushes and was an expert on the history of dentistry what the President’s first priority should be, you know he’s going to say “dental hygiene.”
While there’s a place for people who spend all their time studying the history of warfare, I don’t think those should be the same people who should have a voice in whether we go to war or not. Obviously they will always want to go to war, because it’s what they know. They’re going to naturally feel uncomfortable and out of their element during any peacetime period.
But that should be an obvious, general rule: if you’re considered a war buff, your opinion on whether we should go to war is moot. If we go to war, I might want to consult you after. Except for how all neocons fail at everything. So, no.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:14 amWhy are morons like Boot so eager to bring about the end of the world?
January 9th, 2009 at 5:43 amWho is this Nazi Cheney Youth member?
January 9th, 2009 at 3:09 pm