[Peace-discuss] MSM sees Reps on Obama's left

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Joe Klein surveys the Republican field.]

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2077962,00.html

...This ideological purity worked to the advantage of Michele Bachmann, by 
making her seem less extreme. Bachmann is often linked with Palin as a Tea Party 
pinup, but she is a different breed of cat: she knows her stuff. She actually 
gives factual, informed answers. She lacks Palin's bitter, solipsistic edge. She 
skillfully framed even her most extreme responses in an amenable way, smothering 
her opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest within a paean to the 
sanctity of life. Bachmann also led the pack in opposition to the Libya 
intervention — and it should be noted that the Republican field was sounding 
remarkably dovish, with the exception of Santorum, on the subject of foreign 
wars. Romney said he wants the troops home from Afghanistan "as quickly as 
possible," but then remembered he'd better consult the generals first. Newt 
Gingrich, a traditional war lover, called for a review of U.S. policy in the 
region rather than plumping for more military kinetics. No one mentioned Iran. 
This is a fascinating development: the only plausible space for Republicans in 
the national-defense debate may be to Barack Obama's left...