i'm not sure what you're referring to, but party on garth. FB- America has never in my lifetime enjoyed international respect. someone is always pissed at us. i remember visiting denmark in 1970, i was a kid, and a small destroyer was docked in the harbor. my grandmother took us down to take a tour, and there was a huge dockside demonstration, crowds chanting "yankee go home" and other less benign sentiments. was this W's fault? how about the seizing of the american embassy in 1979? european protests over star wars? congress' rejection of Kyoto during the clinton admin? where was the world's respect when the US military was first on the scene with aide in the wake of the asian tsunami? there is no respect to be restored. the world loves us when they need us. 'twas ever thus.
The U.S. has always been respected for a number of things. That doesn't mean that people aren't also angry wrongs or perceived wrongs. But there is no doubt that opinion has declined. To point out that some people have had problems and so to pretend like it doesn't matter that our level of respect has dropped isn't honest, nor is it effective in building coalitions to fight terrorism. Look at the polls on this page. http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/314/opinions-of-us.html We had a better than 50% rating in some key nations of the world that could provide huge help in dealing with terrorist groups based in that part of the world. Our traditional allies favorability ranking has dropped by a large amount as well, and these are the nations that we need to be able to count on to form coalitions with us in order to apply pressure on other nations to also crack down on terror. I'm sorry as a kid you were scarred by an anti-American demonstration, but that doesn't mean we didn't have respect back then. IT isn't hard to look at data and see we've taken a huge decline.
I don't think either Hillary or Obama is as protectionist as they are pretending to be as they pander for 'union' votes. Given Hillary's past positions on free trade I'm pretty sure she's lying. With Obama -- in the spirit of his campaign -- I'm filled with Hope that he's lying too. But at some point they'll be asked to make good on their rhetoric. Not good. And as far as world opinion -- you're a bunch of emo kids. Nobody hates you. At least no more then before. They don't like your president. But then lots of you don't like him either.
Why are these guys never starting pro McCain threads? I mean, I would put the number at less than a third of total anti-Obama threads.
On garth? Is that the planet where you live? I'm referring to you and your behavior. Sorry you were the only person (on our planet, called earth... just one letter removed from your planet) who didn't understand that from my post.
I'm not sure if you've been paying attention, but we're beginning to need the world's money to save ourselves more than us saving them. We need them to buy our goods while we tighten our belts and save more. Our whole recovery from the current growth recession is hinged upon increased consumer spending abroad. America can earn a great deal of respect playing coalition builder, but as a unilateral boot stomper, we don't have the treasure nor moral authority to play that game for years to come.
Clinton Aide Met on Trade Deal Penn Held Talks On Colombia Pact Opposed by Senator By SUSAN DAVIS April 4, 2008 Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist met with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. on Monday to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement, a pact the presidential candidate opposes. Attendance by the adviser, Mark Penn, was confirmed by two Colombian officials. He wasn't there in his campaign role, but in his separate job as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, an international communications and lobbying firm. The firm has a contract with the South American nation to promote congressional approval of the trade deal, among other things, according to filings with the Justice Department. (Please see related article.) [Photo] Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Mr. Penn's campaign-consulting firm, received more than $10 million in payments from the Clinton campaign as of the end of February, according to federal election filings. Mr. Penn declined to comment. Howard Wolfson, communications director for Sen. Clinton's campaign, said in an email that "Mark was not there on behalf of the campaign" and referred further questions to Burson-Marsteller. "Sen. Clinton's opposition to the trade deal with Colombia is clear," Mr. Wolfson added. A Burson-Marsteller spokesman didn't return calls or emails seeking comment. A spokesman for Colombia's President Álvaro Uribe said the ambassador met with Mr. Penn to discuss the bilateral agenda. "There have also been meetings with the advisers to the campaigns of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain," he said. "It's the embassy's job to explain Colombia's reality." The spokesman said he didn't know if Mr. Penn was representing Sen. Clinton or Burson-Marsteller, which signed a $300,000, one-year contract with the Colombian Embassy in March 2007 to work on behalf of the trade deal and anti-drug-trafficking initiatives, according to the Justice Department filings. A spokesman for Sen. McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, said a team of policy advisers met recently with 20 Latin American ambassadors, including Colombia's. An Obama spokesman and the Colombian Embassy spokeswoman both said the Colombian ambassador had never met with an Obama representative. Both Democratic presidential candidates have taken criticism for positions and private statements of their advisers on trade and other matters. Sen. Clinton's victory last month in Ohio was credited in part to reports that Sen. Obama's economic adviser had raised doubts with Canadian officials over Sen. Obama's opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement. As the fight turns to the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, both Democrats continue to campaign against trade agreements. "We've got to have new trade policies before we have new trade deals," Sen. Clinton told the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO on Tuesday. "That includes no trade deal with Colombia while violence against trade unionists continues in that country." Sen. Obama also opposes that deal. The spokeswoman for the Colombian Embassy, Sandra Ocampo Kohn, confirmed Thursday that Mr. Penn met Monday with Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson, as talks have intensified over passage of the trade deal. Ms. Kohn said she wasn't authorized to provide details. President Bush has signaled that he could send the trade deal to Congress next week despite opposition from congressional Democrats and labor unions. It is unclear how involved Mr. Penn has been in promoting the trade deal. Ms. Kohn said another Burson-Marsteller employee, Jano Cabrera, has been the primary contact with the firm on the communications strategy to promote the trade agreement. Burson-Marsteller is part of an outside effort working on behalf of the Colombian government that includes Glover Park Group and Johnson, Madigan Peck, Boland & Stewart, both of which are contracted to lobby for Colombia on behalf of the deal, Ms. Kohn said. Mr. Penn has been scrutinized over the dual roles he holds with his firm and the Clinton campaign. Burson-Marsteller's contract advising the Colombian government is one of several examples of the firm advising clients on causes Sen. Clinton has opposed. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120726769569388303.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news
