Dissent award

Really. Who'd have thunk it?

"There is no value in imposing an American lead if the American lead would be less effective than a U.N. Special Representative," [U.S. Foreign Service officer Keith] Mines wrote. "At some point, it would seem that the reasons for going it alone in Iraq would be overshadowed by the need to create a viable Iraqi state."

For his willingness to challenge the Bush administration's conventional wisdom, Mines collected an award for "constructive dissent" from the State Department's professional association last week. The citation called his ideas "prescient" and noted that "some have, belatedly, been adopted."

Accepting a plaque, Mines said he hoped U.S. authorities had learned some lessons from the troubled Iraq occupation.

  WaPo article

While many others just hope the world survives it.

Earlier this month, 27 former senior diplomats and military commanders released a statement accusing the Bush administration of going astray on foreign policy, saying it is unable to handle "in either style or substance" the responsibilities of world leadership. The group said the United States had become "overbearing" in foreign affairs, "insensitive" to allies and "disdainful" of the United Nations and NATO.

Frustration with the approach directed by the White House was an undercurrent at the awards ceremony, which John W. Limbert, president of the American Foreign Service Association, opened with a wisecrack about some of the best-known purveyors of current U.S. foreign policy.

Noting that he was a hostage in Iran with L. Bruce Laingen, who chaired the committee that selected the award winners, Limbert said to laughter, "While Ambassador Laingen and I are ex-cons, neither of us are neo-cons!"

And if BushCo assumes another four years in the White House, I expect there to be an overhaul of the diplomatic corps to rout out any left in positions who might be likely to disagree with the neocon policy.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.