This from Juan Cole utterly exposes the self-deception of many Americans about the relative righteousness of the U.S. amongs the nations, which feeds such unwillingness to hear of anything that suggests that we exploit people, especially those of “other” nationalities). Indeed, “why do they hate us?” Let me count the ways and reasons. Here is but the latest.

Informed Comment
The Israeli military extensively used US-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon, which is a war crime. The bombs frequently do not detonate, so now south Lebanon is littered with deadly fist-size bomblets that will inevitably kill and disfigure children and other civilians.

The US State Department will investigate whether Israeli deployment of these weapons in civilian areas violated secret agreements under which Washington supplied them to Israel.

Nothing will come of the investigation, given the clout of the Israel lobby in Washington, but someday the relative of an innocent maimed Lebanese may decide to take revenge on the country that supplied the cluster bombs. And the American public will ask in astonishment why anyone should hate us.

It’s also interesting how the thing for which the nation is being criticized is not as relevant as the very fact that one is being critical. Indeed, this is often the implicit retort in such a reaction: “Oh, you’re just an America basher”, therefore rendering the accusation presumably null and void. Implicit also is the impossibility that our leaders are being anything but forthright, and anything but “desirous of freedom for all”.