But America is the world�s oldest democracy and an ally. Twice in the last century she came to Europe�s rescue as we tore ourselves apart in bloody wars. Then, for fifty years until the fall of the Berlin wall, she guaranteed our freedom against Soviet Communism.
More recently, we would not have been able to deal with vicious tyrants like Milosevic, the Taleban and Saddam Hussein without America.
While we may disagree with the Bush administration on a lot of things, they are right to take seriously the threats from international terrorism, rogue states and weapons of mass destruction. They are also right to want to spread freedom and democracy to people who still suffer under terrible dictators.
The current fashion for anti Americanism puzzles me. Maybe it is an inevitable part of being the world�s only superpower. Or could it be our own cultural �superiority complex�. (Strange, when the best TV these days like �The West Wing� and �Six Feet Under� comes from the States). Or perhaps it�s because nothing divides us like our common language. We squirm at their folksy phrases and simplistic optimism. But these are just a reflection of America�s history � a young country of immigrants and refugees hoping for and usually getting a much better life.
So I hope the protests against Mr Bush will be peaceful and courteous. I�m sorry they will be bigger than protests against Saddam or other evil regimes like the Burmese junta. They will certainly be larger than the demonstrations that accompanied the recent visits by the leaders of China and Russia. Strange.
But that is democracy. Thank goodness (and America) for it!
