Just in a brief scan it sounds to me as though he's taking a stance of "the masses are too ignorant to know what's good for the world, so we're going to take care of it and pat them on the head for their simpleness." Colonialism at its worst.

This was a very interesting interview and I would urge everyone to give it a listen at www.npr.org. Use the drop down menu to choose Morning Edition, then today's (11 March) show, then click on where you see the following:

Host Bob Edwards talks to retired Army Major Gen. Robert Scales about whether it would be possible to stop the momentum toward war. Scales says the U.S. military is capable of pulling back from any buildup ahead of war, though, increasingly, a pullback is quickly becoming a difficult diplomatic, political and strategic option.

Thanks for the link.

kat