This is Thomas Friedman, from Egypt:
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Democrats’ nomination of Obama as their candidate for president has done more to improve America’s image abroad — an image dented by the Iraq war, President Bush’s invocation of a post-9/11 “crusade,” Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay and the xenophobic opposition to Dubai Ports World managing U.S. harbors — than the entire Bush public diplomacy effort for seven years.
Expect to see similar pronouncements throughout the election year. While it’s better to be loved than hated, global opinion is a pretty silly way to vote for president. If Obama is elected, the whole parlor game of speculation about how he would lead will be over. He’ll have to move beyond rhetoric and actually start making decisions. Given that America’s interests often clash with other parts of the world, the idea of Obama will suddenly give way to the reality of Obama, and the euphoria for him around the world will fade. Either that, or he will transform American foreign policy in such a way that it would be consistent with the opinions voiced on the Egyptian street. That would be scary.
