“The funny thing is, this allegedly significant change in national security strategy, toward ‘social work’, actually comes straight out of Bush’s ‘National Security Strategy’ — not some vague lame-duck version either, but the full-blown and now-notorious document published by the White House in September 2002, The National Security Strategy of the United States of America (known as the NSS). Actually, this is funny only in the sense of ‘let’s all laugh at the New York Times,’ because for America and the world the implications are deadly serious. That 2002 NSS is most famous, or infamous, for codifying the ‘Bush Doctrine’ of military pre-emption and for its bald declaration that no military rival to the US will be permitted to arise. It’s already safe to say Obama will not renounce those positions. But because in autumn 2002 the document — just a few thousand words long — was being read largely as an argument for invading Iraq, the civilian side of its imperial vision was largely overlooked. That part of the vision looks remarkably similar to the one now being sketched by the Obama-Clinton team.” (12/04/08)