It has got that way with me as having a mature age Post Grad with a pleasing memory of Keynsianism and a forgiving America with the Marshall Plan, etc, I feel that America has now lost even common sense, with a popular Palin gladly pressing the Wild West anti-intellectual so-called American Way.

Certainly the start of the downgrade as Henry Kissinger forecast was when he strongly warned Nixon about shutting his mind to Israel going militarily atomic.

It is so idiotically tragic that now in our OLO we find so many contributors forsaking that ability to use scientific reasoning backed by historical insight to understand what is really America's problem.

Playing her luck, rather than using wisdom and understanding.

Cheers, BB, Buntine, WA.

A simple potted history from the viewpoint of a non-Bushie. Which is practically everyone these days.

bennie, to be a non-bushie is certainly not without just cause.

Although I'm a leftist I've never been anti-American. Just against the cartel running the place. Barbara Ehrenreich, Molly Ivins and Laura Flanders are some of the Americans I admire and they have all written about the corrupt, criminal regime currently lodged in Washington (hopefully not for much longer).

I hate anti-Americanism. Some leftists will make anti-American comments that would be clearly racist in any other context. So I hope anti-Americanism has no future and people learn to distinguish between the US ruling class and the American people.

Hopefully the elections in a week will turn things around,
when Obama hopefully wins. He understands the need for people
skills, as Clinton did. Bush/Cheney only knew 4 by 2 policy,
no wonder America is hated.

The Economist is running an international poll on the US elections.
So far Obama has around 40'000 votes and McCain 7000. Sudan and
Congo seem in favour of McCain :)

That kind of says it all.

Even if Obama wins, as seems likely, he'll be tied down by the past 8 years of violent US history, not to mention the recent economic crisis. All brought about by the current Republican ethics that encompass violence, stupidity and fiscal irresponsibility.

There's not a great deal Obama can do to extricate the US from this mess in the short term.

It will take probably another 8 years before the US recovers from it's violent, interventionist recent past and it's self inflicted economic crisis.