Joe Biden’s non-defense policy
There is no consistent guidance regarding American involvement in foreign conflict
May 30, 2024 | 8:45 am
Written By:
Carl J. Schramm
No one can say the Iraq War was under-discussed. On the eve of the 2003 invasion, President George W. Bush and his advisors explained and defended Operation Iraqi Freedom to, among others, British prime minister Tony Blair, Saudi ambassador prince Bandar bin Sultan, the United Nations Security Council and skeptical members of Congress, the media and the American public.
Bush even faced opposition from his own secretary of state, Colin Powell, who cautioned the president against invading Iraq with what would come to be known as the “Pottery Barn Rule”: if you break it, you own it.
An experienced military leader, General Powell understood the complexities of war and the importance of having an exit strategy. Powell’s reservations reflected a higher plane of thinking about initiating hostilities, a kind of thinking that was once a central feature of US defense policy.
Bush may have overrode Powell, but at least he had his counsel. We could use some more of that today.
https://thespectator.com/topic/joe-biden-non-defense-policy-america/
