Spread Your Wings and Fly

Ahhhh, Sunday morning with Charles Osgood, the New York Times and NPR's Prairie Home Companion - I've said it before and I'll say it again "the arsty media just doesn't get any better than on a Sunday!" This morning CBS White House correspondent Jim Axelrod did a forthcoming piece on the international perceptions of our "go-it-alone" President including the results of the annual Pew Institute's Global Attitudes Survey. As expected, the survey wasn't flattering - listing Anti-Americanism in foreign countries at an all-time high. But, even nonpartisan pollsters like Pew never sit well with me. Too often they focus on the negative rather than the positive and give limited choices to questions. The more I travel the more I realize that polls are not to be taken to heart or prevent you from venturing abroad. We, the curious folk with the insatiable desire to learn new cultures and appreciate distant lands are what this country needs to mend our broken image and restore our home to its humble beginnings. It's a countdown in my book before dubyaspeak.com is out of work but in the meantime I don't let the polls deter me from taking advantage of frequent flyer miles. Of my many many strange travels in strange lands I've never once been judged on the cocky mistakes my U.S. government makes. If I were I would defend my home to the hilt tossing scientists, techonology, humanitarian endeavors and freedoms into the debate. However, I'm often embraced more like a long-lost cousin and invited to stay the week. I'm not a betting person but I can safely say you'll also get the same treatment provided you don't act like an "ugly American"...