John le Carré on Bush

"Probably no American president in history has been so universally hated abroad as Bush: for his bullying unilateralism, his dismissal of international treaties, his reckless indifference to the aspirations of other nations and cultures, his contempt for institutions of world government, and above all for misusing the cause of anti-terrorism in order to unleash an illegal war — and now anarchy — upon a country that like too many others around the world was suffering under a hideous dictatorship but had no hand in the events of 9/11, no weapons of mass destruction and no record of terrorism except as an ally of the United States in a dirty war against Iran."

So writes John le Carré in yesterday's LA Times. How could it surprise anyone that the old guard CIA thinks the Bush Administration is a pack of rank amateurs? Administrations come and go, the lifers remain -- the first rule of civil service. John's fictionalized portrayals of circus life endeared him to two generations of cold warrior. Sure, Ian Flemming's various 007s got more screen, plus let's not forget Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner) but le Carré takes the prize for his rich and textured virtual worlds, his fun house mirrors of spydom.