A marker for how well we’re doing is how we’re regarded in Britain, which has been our friend and ally for a century. They stood by us after 9-11 more than any other nation.

America’s standing even in Britain had declined sharply during the second term of the Bush Administration. That’s one nation whose opinion does count.

In other words, how on earth can there be a truly meaningful opinion poll of 6 billion plus people? or does the poll assume that “the world” is made up of Europeans and certain vocal Middle Eastern states? And furthermore, why do we care what the “the world” thinks? I understand we need to care very much (or at least be highly aware of) the opinions of certain key players, but of “the world”? I think we ought to weigh the opinions against who holds them and what our relationship to them is. There are some regimes in this world that it would be a great honor to be hated by and a great shame to have their approval. I suppose that’s not very real politik of me, but I’m tired of unprincipled politics. Look where they have gotten us.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWQyODRhYzVhZmU0ZTdmZjQxMmZjNTdhZmUwMmUxMGQ=#

The story was picked up by the Wall Street Journal. That piece was then echoed by Nile Gardiner in the Daily Telegraph. Both thought it was appalling that the president of France should be telling the president of the U.S.A. how to stand up straight. As the Journal put it, “We thought we’d never see the day when the President of France shows more resolve than America’s Commander in Chief for confronting one of the gravest challenges to global security. But here we are.”

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/10/02/obamas_french_lesson_98547.html#

Obama’s ambitions lead him to grandstand during the Security Council meeting and speaking about nuclear disarmament. While the next day having to admit that Iran has not now nor will in the future concern it’s self of Obama’s desires. And by the end of the month, all the while Iran continues to work towards nuclear proficiency, we will be left with a grandstanding teleprompter reader and no sanctions. Even with Obama’s limp wristed attempts at diplomacy. And so the United States of America is left relinquishing it role as super power to the French. What a statement that makes.

It wasn’t the culture.

It was the stubborn insistence by Bush on invading Iraq to find WMD that wasn’t there. We became an international laughingstock. (The Europeans also suspected that Saddam had WMD, but they were never so sure of their facts, much less of Saddam’s intentions, that they believed that pre-emptive war was justified. In the end, they were right–and we were wrong.)

Think how different things would have turned out, if we had really found all the WMD that we had claimed was there. Then the Europeans would have been embarrassed instead of us.

Crying wolf like that is extremely dangerous. Someday a real wolf will show up. (North Korea? Iran?) But the world will have a tough time believing us, unless Obama can convince them that the mindset that caused such a tragic miscalculation as the Iraq War has been purged from the U.S. Government for good.

It wasn’t the culture.

It was the stubborn insistence by Bush on invading ira