I just heard the most amazing piece of arrogance on the Today programme. (And no, I don't mean the Peter Mandelson/Michael Portillo discussion).
Apropos of the NATO row, they interviewed some Congressman from the US, called Pete King. He stated that France and Germany (and Belgium) were of no consequence, that Germany started two world wars, that France has no aircraft carriers (the French Ambassador to NATO said that wasn't true) and their only use in Iraq would be to show the Iraqis how to surrender. Jim Naughtie said that consequence is not merely about military might. This snivelling little toad said with utter contempt in his voice, "Oh sure the French have culture." Naughtie suggested that France and Germany are a driving force in the European Union, which is a rather powerful bloc. This King bloke then asserted, "Oh the EU's changing. The countries that matter are Poland and Lithuania."
There was something fundamentally nasty about this man, that Norman Tebbitt seemed possibly sweet in comparison. Not only nasty, but deeply dishonest. Why not just say: "The strategic foreign policy of the government of the USA is to ensure that our dominance is maintained, and, in fact, increased exponentially. We accept that there are some well established nations whose governments will challenge our world view. Therefore, we'll cultivate the weaker nations so that they'll be on our side, and then we'll meet down the bus station after school and my gang will be bigger than yours ner ner ner ner ner and anyway you smell, and your mother, oh look I can stick my tongue out. Eugh eugh eugh eugh eugh you like girls."
Quite apart from the aggressive and destructive foreign policy pursued by the US government, I detest the sheer tone of sneering contempt coming from too many of their politicians. Rumsfeld is the absolute epitome but this bloke on the radio indicates that it's more than a personal arrogance coming from Rumsfeld - it's a vein through the body politic.
