Republican Foreign Policy Boiled Down for You Posted by David Shorr

Some simple rules of thumb:

1. Extent US must pursue missile defense: As far as conceivable

2. How much it matters whether the conceivable technology is actually workable: Not very

3. How much we should spend on the military: More (definitely more than Democrats, or the military themselves, say)

4. Degree to which we should adjust to concerns of non-allies: Zero

5. Number of allies you need to focus on: One (three, at most)

6. How long US troops should be kept in Iraq and Afghanistan: Longer than Obama says

7. Hypocrisy involved in screaming about high gas prices and attacking Iran at the same time

7. Relevance of past Republican presidents' nuclear arms treaties and reductions to today's GOP: What nuclear reductions?

8. Connection between America's own actions and what we expect from others: Non-existent

9. Nature of American exceptionalism: Perfection - the focus of awesomeness in the modern world

Extent that above tenets exaggerate / caricature: You be the judge

Illustration: Boris Rasin