One of the key figures of the Bush administration, and perhaps its strongest advocate for war in Iraq- apart from Dick Cheney and George Bush himself – has appeared on RussiaToday to push for a stronger American response to Iran.

What Richard Perle said of the need to combat the threat of a nuclear armed Iran is not surprising – given his recent history – however what was more telling were his admissions about other issues. He did admit that if a country had an atom bomb – say North Korea – the US would not attack it, though he went on to quantify that by adding that Kim Jong’s regime would also inflict immense damage on the South in any conflict.

As far as he was concerned, Iraq was a threat that had to be taken out, where America got it wrong was occupying the country which had then allowed an insurgency to develop.

He believed that America was not the only nation to be hated in the Muslim world, there was also Russia and the UK, and that the West was only defending itself in taking the actions it has done so far.

There was, he believed a struggle between people who wanted to impose their way of life on everyone and us.

He did not believe that was what America was doing.

America did not feel superior but rather proud of its way of life.

He was asked about one American mother who had lost her son in the Iraq war, to which he said he was sorry, however, there was no indication of any awareness that the invasion of Iraq had cost one million civilian lives, with millions more unable to return to their country for fear of the violence that that invasion had unleashed.

In fact, the well spoken Mr Perle gives the impression that he sleeps very easily at night.