Martin Peretz’s excellent piece in this week’s New Republic deserves more notice.
Peretz has always been a big supporter of Al Gore, and he came under some fire over the past couple of years for using his magazine to boost Gore during the presidential campaign. Indeed, to the point of firing at least one editor (Michael Kelly) who had the bad taste to keep pointing out Gore’s less savory character flaws.
At the time of the election, Peretz made no secret of his opinion that GWB was a rube—one just not open to new ideas or intellectual curiousity.
It’s a surprise therefore, to read this piece as he (like few other liberals) points out the truly significant new direction Bush has taken American foreign policy in the mideast—in spite of the obvious pressure from the GOP old guard….