Well, he was very much correct about arrogance and humility.

That was before he was elected, of course, and was in full-blast B.S. mode. He didn’t have to wait until September 11 to start being arrogant, that just made him pump up the volume. He had already abrogated half a dozen or so international treaties, had gotten us kicked out of important U.N. councils, and was well on his way to making the U.S. into a world pariah. Then 9-11 came, and the world turned to us with sympathy. But instead of fostering that sympathy and building new relations with it, something everyone except Bush realized was vital in the days to come, Bush immediately started the abuse again with his “with us or against us” rhetoric. Since then, it’s been nothing but arrogance.

And now? Now, Bush is demanding that the U.N. come in to Iraq and clean up for us. After bullying other nations, after disregarding the U.N., then turning around and demanding they help invade Iraq or become “irrelevant,” after demanding inspections and then dismissing them before they had time to finish, after being condescending and insulting to nations that refused to participate, after making haughty and bellicose statements for all this time–now Bush realizes he’s in over his head, and wants those countries he ridiculed and dismissed to send their young men into Iraq to fight and die for us.

And get this: he’ll only allow them in if the U.S. stays in command of all of them, and they must not even think of wanting to share in the spoils of war.

And the sad thing is, it will be hard for anyone to slap Bush in the face like they all want to–because Bush is essentially holding the Iraqi people hostage. Everyone knows that the Iraqis are suffering, that the situation could devolve into chaos easily, and the U.N. peacekeepers could do a lot of good, perhaps even bring legitimacy to a new Iraq now that the damage is done.

The problem is, it is galling as hell, as the only way Bush will let anyone helps is on his terms, with all command, credit and profit going to him–plus it would at least in part legitimize Bush’s invasion into Iraq. However, everyone is certain that Bush would sooner let the Iraqi people suffer and the situation go to hell in a handbasket before giving an inch, or, God forbid, being the humble leader he promised he would be.