President Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski,
said there was no single piece of paper which represented the Bush
Doctrine, that several ideas collectively represent the Bush Doctrine.
If he isn't sure it is not surprising that Governor Palin doesn't know.
Dana Perino, the President's Press Secretary, said the Bush Doctrine
deals primarily with the War on Terror. She laid out three elements of
the Doctrine: 1) The United States does not distinguish between those
who commit acts of terror and those who harbor and support the
terrorists; 2) We will confront grave threats before they fully
materialize and will fight the terrorists abroad so we don't have to
face them at home; and 3) We will counter the hateful ideology of the
terrorists by promoting the hopeful alternative to human freedom. So she
gave an answer that none of the foreign policy experts gave.
Stephen E. Biegun now serves as Governor Palin's foreign policy advisor.
He helped to draft the original Bush Doctrine statement in 2002
articulated by Gibson. So presumably next time Palin is asked the
question she will have a ready answer - unless, of course, she decides
to go with one of the other six definitions of the Bush Doctrine.