She’s not serious about exchanging ideas, just sprinkling us with her torpid thoughts. If you take her seriously and react, you’ll just get a series of meaningless exchanges.

On my way out of town for a couple of weeks. Don’t say I didn’t warn you

Having discussions with our ‘enemies’ used to be considered an appropriate and essential part of foreign policy. How else can problems be solved? To say we in America do not need the rest of the world is ludicrous.

War is obsolete. It doesn’t work. Senator Obama knows this and Senator McCain does not.

Barak Obama does appear to have this ability to convince other nations to follow his lead with his impassioned speeches. If George W. had this ability of influence than the tiny nation of Georgia wouldn’t have to commit troops that were needed elsewhere. Instead there would be an overflow of nations willing to help.

The ability to convince others is arguably one of the most important abilities of a leader.

I always found it ironic that no less than Adolph Hitler – a warped, murderous madman – said something early on during the war that was so spot-on, the British had no real response to.

There had been commentary by the British about being the “Champions of Democracy.” Hitler simply responded about the sheer irony of a nation that held 400 million people in thrall around the world would have the nerve to refer to itself in that way. He further noted the large wellspring of racism in their dual view of the world, in that what the British did to a black man in Rhodesia (for example) was vastly different than the same type of action against a white man in Europe.

We are the biggest guy on the block, and we are surely resented for it. Who we elect as President will likely have little bearing on other nation’s opinions of us. And if the best we can do is obsess about what they think about us – as if it’s of supreme importance to be “popular” – then we’re lost anyways.

Needless to say, it’s a part of the Internet experience that cues about when a conversation has switched from commenting to an individual to that of the original article can be vague at best. As the Russians would say, Nichevo – “It can’t be helped.”

Moving right along…

I personally don’t think our politics should really care one whit about what others in the world think of us. Truly, they will think what they will regardless, despite any opinions to the contrary. At times stretching points all out of true to do so.

I was in an online debate with a Brit I know recently. He went on and on about the actions of the US in Iraq and other parts of the world. So I simply responded that much of what we are doing and where we are doing it was at least in part resolving long-standing issues left by the sudden retreat of the British Empire, as when they left, they did so leaving nations that were artificially fabricated entities with groups mixed together that truly hate each other.

His responses were a constant stream of denials and fabrications about the former Empire, it’s meaning, what they did and how they did it, and who benefitted – to the extent that he even represented that everything they had done was always and solely for the benefit of the native inhabitants, and that the British Empire had benefitted not one iota.

And then proceeded to return to his “America bad” screed.

So it’s really ultimately pointless to worry about other nations and their opinions of us. We don’t choose a President to benefit or accomodate *them* – we do so for *us*.

As to your points 3 and 4 — I wasn’t directing at you, but at Mr. Shepherd — I thought that was the purpose of this sort of thing, to comment on what the writer had to say. I think if you’ll look at my comments in that context, you’ll agree!