Should Bush, Blair etc be attacked because they have established a climate where their public servants tell them what they want to hear, and not necessarily what the facts are?

This might not be a major fault in the USA, where the spoils system was so long entrenched, but in countries like Britain and Australia, where there has been a tradition of independent public servants providing advice to politicians without fear or favour, it is a worrying trend.

Here in Australia, John Howard has made an art form of getting wrong information or incomplete information that suits his book, and then blaming his advisers when the information turns out to be wrong or incomplete. What he does not announce publicly is that he has established a climate where public servants are afraid to give him correct information that he does not like, because he is a vindictive little turd who will avenge himself on them. On the other hand, the ones who distort or conceal information are rewarded.

This is the worst form of corruption of the principles of an independent public service.