Salon has a great interview with journalist Arthur Kent today.
Kent was working for NBC during the first Gulf War, and has apparently achieved notoriety for his dashing good looks--he has beendubbed the "Scud Stud" in some circles.
Q: Why do you think the Bush administration is reluctant to give the U.N. inspectors more time?
Too many advisors, too many policy makers within Bush administration appear, by the substance and the inflexibility of the policy collectively, to be doctrinaire political fundamentalists. They have a very fixed, inflexible political and social mentality, and a very limited knowledge of how complex the world is and how great a role nuance and inconsistencies play in the world's different regions. They have a lack of sensitivity to cultural, religious, social, economic disparities around the world. In other words, you have very determined, stubborn and simple-minded people pursuing policies in spite of international resistance, objections by America's closest traditional allies, and the great discomfort of a good portion of the American public.
Read it here--if you want the full version, you'll either have to buy a subscription, or click through the ads for the day pass. This article alone is well worth it, and it's the type of journalism I never expect to see in the mainstream media and is the reason why I purchased a Salon subscription.
The idea that the American government is effectively saying "to hell with diplomacy" bothers me a whole lot. I've generally been of the mind that politicians will do as they please, so their outrageous behaviour generally does not surprise me... but the sheer audacity of the Bush government disturbs me.
A lot.
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