Ignore those inspectors!

Apart from the resentment that the imperial style produces, the aloof attitude means that American officials don't benefit from the experience and expertise of foreigners. The U.N. inspectors in Iraq were puzzled at how uninterested American officials were in talking to them—even though they had spent weeks combing through Iraq. Instead, U.S. officials, comfortably ensconced in Washington, gave them lectures on the evidence of weapons of mass destruction. "I thought they would be interested in our firsthand reports on what those supposedly dual-use factories looked like," one of then told me (again remaining anonymous for fear of angering the administration). "But no, they explained to me what those factories were being used for."

From a Newsweek piece by Fareed Zakaria entitled "Imperial Presidency."

Is there any clearer example of the need to get to the bottom of prewar intelligence and manipulation? We cannot just forget about how we entered into the first preemptive war in american history.

Although Zakaria is fervently pro war when it comes to Iraq, he does occasionally point out the many issues Bush has with tradition and diplomacy.