In Sarah Palin's first interview since being selected by John McCain as his vice-presidential running mate, the Alaska Governor was asked by Charles Gibson if she subscribed to the Bush Doctrine. Palin did not appear to understand what the Bush Doctrine was until Gibson described it to her.ABC News: EXCERPTS: Charlie Gibson Interviews Sarah Palin (September 11, 2008)

The Bush Doctrine is a foreign policy position which claims the right to pre-emptively attack nations that bear a threat to the well-being of the United States, even if no such offensive action has yet been undertaken against the United States. In essence, the Doctrine advocates a policy of "preventive war," justifying an attack on a country even if no credible threat has yet materialized. The Doctrine, formulated in the months following the 9-11 attacks, was used to justify the invasion of Iraq, on the grounds that Saddam Hussein possessed, and was seeking to possess, weapons of mass destruction.CBS News: Palin and the Bush Doctrine (September 11, 2008)