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Wednesday, November 2

Past, present and future

For the rest of this week I'll be publishing letters I exchanged last week with a correspondent, and which pertain to US foreign policy and the democracy doctrine. Because I don't have permission to publish the correspondent's side of the dialogue a certain amount of choppiness in the exposition is unavoidable. Also, I am publishing the letters virtually unedited so I ask the reader's indulgence.

A note for readers who will find my opinion of Condoleezza Rice's performance as Secretary of State to be downright mean: Be happy I left the letters unedited because my opinion would be much meaner if I had polished it for publication and added footnotes.

Be happier still I didn't opine on the political opportunists who view Secretary Rice in terms of her race and gender rather than her career accomplishments. One has to be dangerously stupid to view Condoleezza Rice first as a woman and a black. Rice is a Natoist and a Cold War warrior who's not finding it easy to take the Bush doctrine to heart. She's not the only one in Washington in that position. Yet it's early days for the doctrine and Rice's career as head of State -- points I omitted from my harsh analysis.

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