A Lecture from the Dog House

The Korea Herald is reminding us that–all together now–America is the arrogant one:

It is crucial that Americans recognize that not every South Korean is shouting “Yankee go home” and that not every young man here is anxious to burn the Stars and Stripes in the street. They need to realize that any “anti-American movement,” as reported by the international media from South Korea, can look sensational, given the worldwide trend of denouncing the arrogance of the sole superpower, not to mention the aggressive foreign policy of the Bush administration.

Yeah, I guess to Koreans, it must seem pretty arrogant and aggressive for America to attack people who are killing Americans . . . in America. To allies like Korea, France, and Saudi Arabia–who are always there when they need you–the U.S. is only justified in using force to protect them; every other time, it’s “arrogant” and “aggressive.”

Instead of overreacting with shock and anger to the antagonistic attitudes of a certain group of South Koreans, therefore, leaders in Washington must try to look into the root causes to see what has undermined their cherished alliance. President Bush and his security advisors, in particular, will have to review their North Korea policy in light of their conspicuous perception gap with most South Koreans, who want an early, peaceful solution to the prolonged crisis surrounding the North’s nuclear arms.

First, it’s pretty obvious that somebody bleated out this tired OhMyNews retread for the very reason that America obviously doesn’t cherish the alliance nearly as much as Korean Street had imagined. Second, if you want to understand the “root cause” of anti-Americanism, it’s right here. Third, the Korea Herald’s idea of a review of our North Korea policy means having Jimmy Carter, um, negotiate from it under Kim Jong-Il’s desk. Be careful what you ask for, since it’s a lot more likely that any policy review will be done by Rummy and John Bolton. Fourth, you can’t ascribe the ugliness of Korea to a radical few when this kind of rectal discharge is perfectly legal.