And as for Lindy's point about Rove not being at the table in the early post-war NSC meetings, I do not think that Bush makes decisions about major questions of war and peace with an eye on the polls. But Israel policy is less about our war and peace than their war and peace, and there are very strong domestic constituencies in the States who have very strong opinions about what the proper policy towards the situation is. I would be extremely suprised if, given that situation, Rove didn't have some views on the matter, and didn't find some way of communicating them to the president, and that wasn't part of the decisionmaking mix somehow. I apologize in advance if such appalling cynicism offends people.
Just to make your life happier and because my fingers can't resist the temptation, I offer a criticism of that formulation from another quarter. It's way, way, way too uncynical. I think the interplay between Rove's reading of domestic politics and the foreign policy rhetoric, actions, reactions, whatever is well beyond intricate. More like loops, feedback loops and feedback loops within the feedback.
Cynical is us. |
