Democracy, as we found in Nazi Germany, does not thrive in such an atmosphere. I think President Bush was only clarifying U.S. policy. Ambiguity is no policy at all and can be quite dangerous. Leaving doubts in the minds of potential adversaries as to what our response would be to aggression can lead to war, as it did in Korea in 1950 and Iraq-Kuwait in 1990. You also quote from the Chinese general Sun Tzu Wu in the fifth century, B.C., to support your view.
Deception is never as effective in diplomacy as it is in warfare.