The Cheney Doctrine

Abstract

Mr Cheney’s speech of August 26th provides us with the fullest statement we are likely to get in justification of an attack on Iraq. Whether it represents the final word in Bush Administration policy is anyone’s guess; press reports afterward suggested that the speech was neither fully cleared with the White House nor fact-checked with the CIA. Still, it seems unlikely that Mr Bush will be able to make a stronger case. Let us, therefore, work with what we’ve got, in the short time that apparently remains.