Thanks Brian - another comment as productive and as engaged with my arguments as your previous posts.

I was hoping you might make a contribution that drew on the expertise that you do have. For example, why, alone among the core disciplines that make up American Studies, has politics turned away from the study of the United States?

Stephen,
I see that irony is not big in American studies.
On a serious note I do not know why Pol Sc has dumped US politics. Once upon a time it was big in Oz.My point is that how can US studies be strong when such an important component (Politics) is so weak? After all US politics is the biggest game in town and it is impossible to make it boring. What is to be done? Support the proposed US Studies Centre? I'm wary of doing that because I am suspicious of the motives of the proponents--hence my smart alec remark re the University of Vulcania.
We have now had enough fun at each others' expense and tested the patience of Online Opinion. Why doesn't someone write a piece on why US politics has died in Aust. and see what it flushes out?
Brian

It is interesting that this online session deals with the problem of our failing Australian interest in America when John Howard has just about copied American Republican politics to a T with his cracking down on unionism as well as in our foreign policies, especially regarding today's Middle East schemozzle.

Maybe it is because our social scientists have had the nounce to have had a gutfull of it all. Moreover, Costello's talk last year of looking into some of the university courses because they are wide away from Aust' US government policies, could be further proof.

And after all, the mess that is now Iraq, and with the US having allowed little Israel to install 200 hundred atomic rockets at the ready way back 15 years ago, is still given reminder to students about US ramblings about how to keep peace.

It is the sort of American decisionmaking that makes one shudder to think about, and glad that our univerity humanities courses bring out the truth of the matter, an ungodly American socio-political schizophrenia trying to play cards of wisdom and understanding with one hand and missile dplomacy and oil strategem with the other.

Hasn't changed much from the WildWest with Bible in one hand and six-gun behind the back.

Just finished reading an excellent book entitled "Why Do People Hate America" by Ziauddin Sardar, Merryl Wyn Davies, The book is very well written and makes its points succinctly.