What is it about flags that make people whip them out at a moment's notice? Why such pride in them - especially at the most inappropriate moments?

This afternoon the world watched as US marines pulled down a massive statue of Saddam in the middle of Baghdad.

Cheered on by hundreds of Iraqis, they swung a noose around the giant neck of the colossus and prepared to heave it off - an astonishing, empowering symbolic moment of Iraqi freedom. A truly historic moment indeed, and one I won't forget for a long time.

But then came a moment more sickening than any other in this war. The marines unfurled their star-spangled banner and placed it over Saddam's head, like the hood of a condemned man.

Pardon my freespeak, but how fucking arrogant?

The Iraqis gathered around the marines gasped and booed. The diplomat being interviewed on News 24 - himself a native of Baghdad - spoke of his disgust and humiliation. The British forces spokesman said it was certainly inappropriate. And my stomach just turned.

Fortunately someone in the chain of command saw sense before the task was completed and the stars and stripes were taken down within a couple of minutes. After much tugging - and a brief appearance by an Iraqi flag around Saddam's neck - the statue eventually fell, unclad with colours of any nation. But the fact the episode with the US flag happened at all still speaks volumes about the attitude of many towards the war.

Yes it was a great move the marines were taking, but it should have been in the name of the Iraqi people, not the US military. This war has (hopefully) been about restoring the rights of a downtrodden people, not reasserting America's might.

I love visiting the US, I hold a good number of its citizens very dear, and I enjoy many of its contributions to world culture. So you could consider me a fan of the place - I certainly do.

But until a great many people learn that America is only one part of a wonderfully diverse world, and the country's establishment stops acting like it owns the place, it will continue to be a focus for the kind of hatred and resentment that led to 11 September 2001. And today showed just how far they haven't come in the last 18 months.