Clarke part XLI

The Bush adminstrations aggressive push back strategy to eliminate Richard Clarke's credibility with extreme prejudice has run into a little problem with slogans.

Most strikingly Powell vs Powell
"We wanted to move beyond the roll-back policy of containment”

Roll back and containment are antonyms in foreign policy jargon.

The problem is that in January 2001, Clarke proposed a strategy of "roll back" that is aggressive assault and the Bush administration is trying to argue that they overcame his view that fighting terrorism was a law enforcement issue.
To do this they play with words. Playing with words, like playing with fire, can be dangerous.

As is appropriate for the Secretary of State, Powell has best synthesized the contradictions. However, over at the NSC they are working together to make fools of themselves. I noticed (can't prove it) the same thing Pincus and Milbank start off with in the Sunday Washington Post

"Rice said the Bush team developed "a comprehensive strategy that would not just roll back al Qaeda -- which had been the policy of the Clinton administration -- but we needed a strategy to eliminate al Qaeda."

But in 2002, Rice's deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, wrote to the joint committee that the new policy was exactly what Rice described as the old one. "The goal was to move beyond the policy of containment, criminal prosecution, and limited retaliation for specific attacks, toward attempting to 'roll back' al Qaeda." "

Oops.

It is clear. they need to find the right word for their excellent plan which needed 7 and one half months of discussion. Containment -- certainly not
Roll back -- taken
eliminate -- pretty good
Destroy -- lacks gravitas

Delenda -- Eureka that's it. It's perfect. Recalls Cato's utter implacability. That's it they can say their new plan is not at all like the plan Clarke pushed for years by naming it Delenda.