Jared wrote:no link (why no cut and paste on the iPhone)
But palin was asked what her position on the bush doctrine was, and she didn't even know what it was. Eeeek.
First of all, I don't believe that there is a coherent Bush doctrine and wouldn't excoriate her or anyone else for not knowing it. It's a snipe hunt.
Wikipedia seems to agree.
The Bush Doctrine is a phrase used to describe various related foreign policy principles of United States president George W. Bush, enunciated in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The phrase initially described the policy that the United States had the right to treat countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups as terrorists themselves, which was used to justify the invasion of Afghanistan.[1] Later it came to include additional elements, including the controversial policy of preventive war, which held that the United States should depose foreign regimes that represented threat to the security of the United States, even if that threat was not immediate (used to justify the invasion of Iraq), a policy of supporting democracy around the world, especially in the Middle East, as a strategy for combating the spread of terrorism, and a willingness to pursue U.S. military interests in a unilateral way.[2][3][4] Some of these policies were codified in a National Security Council text entitled the National Security Strategy of the United States published on September 20, 2002.[5]
That's not a doctrine, that's a laundry list. I am a regular reader of Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs, and it's a nudge-and-wink joke anytime anybody refers to a "Bush" doctrine. The administration has used those journals and other publications to try clarify things, but that's clearly a lost cause. It's not the term to use if you want to discuss policy on a serious level.
The idea that the doctrine was "enunciated" is simplistic and silly. There have been a long series of enuncisations and permutations.
Secondly, she understood the question perfectly well. She just refused to answer the question about unilateral action in Pakistan over the Pakistani government's objection. She refused because it's a matter of policy that we respect other nations' sovereignty but reserve the right to take whatever action needed to protect our interest. Those are diametrically opposed impulses, but life is full of contradiction.
Her mistake was couching her answer in ambiguous terms and more than a few cliches. She should've directly challenged Gibson by asking him why he was repeating a question which didn't deserve and was not going to ever get a straight yes or no answer.
If someone asked me the same question, my response would be, "What Bush Doctrine?".
Edit: Here's the transcript on that portion. Gibson looks better in print than he does on video, where he seems more badgering than inquisitive.
GIBSON: Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?
PALIN: In what respect, Charlie?
GIBSON: The Bush — well, what do you interpret it to be?
PALIN: His world view?
GIBSON: No, the Bush doctrine, annunciated September 2002, before the Iraq War.
PALIN: I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying our nation. There have been blunders along the way, though. There have been mistakes made, and with new leadership, and that’s the beauty of American elections, of course, and democracy, is with new leadership comes opportunity to do things better.
GIBSON: The Bush doctrine as I understand it is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense, that we have the right to a preemptive strike against any country that we think is going to attack us. Do you agree with us?
PALIN: Charlie, if there is legitimate and enough intelligent and legitimate evidence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country.
GIBSON: Do we have the right to be making cross-border attacks into Pakistan, from Afghanistan, with or without the approval of the Pakistani government?
PALIN: As for our right to invade, we’re going to work with these countries, building new relationships, working with existing allies, but forging new also, in order to, Charlie, get to a point in this world, where war is not going to be a first option. In fact, war has got to be and military strike a last option.
GIBSON: But governor, I am asking you, do we have the right, in your mind, to go across the border, with or without the approval of the Pakistani government?
PALIN: In order to stop Islamic extremists, those terrorists who would seek to destroy America, and our allies, we must do whatever it takes, and we must not blink, Charlie. In making those tough decisions of where we go, and even who we target.
GIBSON: And let me finish with this. I got lost in a blizzard of words there. Is that a yes, that you think we have the right to go across the border, with or without the approval of the Pakistani government? To go after terrorists who are in the Waziristan area?
PALIN: I believe that America has to exercise all options in order to stop the terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying America, and our allies. We have got to have all options out there on the table.