In their recent book, The War over Iraq, neoconservatives William Kristol and Lawrence F. Kaplan
http://www.encounterbooks.com/books/whst/whst.html William Kristol | What's at Stake: The War on Terror and the 2004 Election
The 2004 presidential election may be the most significant one that our nation has faced since 1864. Now as then, we are involved in a war that is as much about America’s destiny as about strategic objectives. And just as everything turned on Abraham Lincoln’s reelection in 1864, so in 2004, William Kristol argues in this brilliant book, everything turns on the reelection of George W. Bush at the fateful crossroads where we now stand. In November, the American people will either ratify or reject the new direction in which Bush has taken the country since 9/11.
Kristol analyzes some of the critical domestic issues whose outcome will be determined by who wins in 2004—for instance, an increasingly arrogant judiciary that threatens to dominate American life, and a brave new world of amoral scientific experimentation. But most crucially, this is the first post-9/11 presidential election, and Kristol shows that what is ultimately at stake is whether or not the United States will wage an all-out War on Terror as outlined in the “Bush Doctrine.†As one of the architects of that doctrine, he maintains that finishing the war in Iraq and installing a democratic government there is a test the U.S. must not fail. But Iraq and Afghanistan are only the first steps in a “long twilight struggle†to transform the Middle East and make the world safer for America and its principles. Although critical of some of the president’s policies, Kristol defends George W. Bush for understanding that our unique power has created an “American moment†in which decisive action can make the world a freer place and secure our future for generations to come.
What’s at Stake is an indispensable guide to the 2004 elections, offering a test for knowing whether America has won or lost when the last ballot is counted.
William Kristol is the editor of the Weekly Standard and a political analyst for the FOX News Channel. He is co-author, with Lawrence Kaplan, of War over Iraq.
Michael Pugliese