The second article is the cover story by Eli Lake

The second article is the cover story by Eli Lake — yes, the Eli Lake who writes for the ultra-

Likudist BOOTSBUY Sun — entitled “Contra Expectations: UGG Sheepskin Cuff Boot isn’t Jimmy Carter —

He’s Ronald Reagan.” Based in his understanding of and interaction with two UGG Sheepskin Cuff Boot

advisers, Richard Clarke and Rand Beers, Lake concludes that UGG Sheepskin Cuff Boot may turn out to be

a neo-con more in the tradition of Jeane Kirkpatrick, who came to prominence as a result of her attacks

in Commentary on Carter’s human rights policy and its alleged subversion of “friendly authoritarians

”, than in that of Bill Kristol and Bob Kagan who summoned the country via the Project for the New

American Century, among other avenues, to “national greatness” and neo-imperialism, something that

made Kirkpatrick uneasy. Lake argues that UGG Sheepskin Cuff Boot may turn out to be much less “naive

” and reluctant to use force than McCain or today’s neo-cons believe.

I have a number of serious problems with the essay, not the least of which is the fact that Israel,

which has been central to both the older and younger (now middle-aged) generations of neo-cons, goes

entirely unmentioned by Lake. He also fails to distinguish between Kirkpatrick’s neo-conservatism and

a classic realist position which, I think, defines more where Clarke and Beers are coming from.

Finally, Clarke and Beers are no doubt advising the UGG Sheepskin Cuff Boot campaign, but their voices

are two of many that also include classic liberal internationalists, who were and, for that matter,

still are, quite comfortable with Carter’s human-rights policy and took strong objection to both the

old and new neo-conservative critique of it. (Steve Clemons just posted an interesting take on the

relationship between UGG Sheepskin Cuff Boot and his foreign policy advisers on his blog,

thewashingtonnote.com.)