A decent respect

George Bush suggests that, during the debate, John Kerry laid out a radical new foreign policy doctrine, one so un-American as to be ridiculous.

"When he laid out the Kerry doctrine, he said that America has to pass a global test before we can use American troops to defend ourselves," Bush said, drawing loud boos from a friendly crowd at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. "When our country is in danger, it is not the president's job to take an international poll, the president's job is to defend America."

Gee, I was just reading something about this. Oh, here it is: "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them..." What Kerry said was "the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing, and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons."

Who is the greater danger to America, the guy who echoes the Declaration of Independence, or the one who echoes Hermann Goering?

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.

Update: In an earlier version of this post, I typed Goebells when I meant Goering. I've fixed it now. My apologies for naming the wrong Nazi. I believe the point remained intact.