World to America: "You're not the boss of me!"

An interesting hypothetical look at the future of global politics based on the current stand of world powers can be found on the New York Times website today.

What if, 8 years from now, the United States found itself quieted by the rest of the world? What if nobody cared what the U.S. Government had to say anymore?

I believe, in agreement with the article, that we've certainly begun heading in that direction. The world is tired of us bossing everybody around and stubbornly refusing to accept global attempts at peace and environmental protection. Nobody cares if Bush wants to be a little brat at a global summit to determine how we, as a planet, will move towards greener practices. Bush stood with his arms crossed and the rest of the world was this close to telling him where he could shove it.

In the interests of full-disclosure, I voted for Bush the second time around. And to keep that disclosure going, it is a decision that I now regret. It is my opinion that Bush is too stubborn to listen to anybody else any longer. He is going to do what he set out to do, even if it is blatently obvious to the rest of the world that he is an idiot. I imagine the cabinet room being one of, "I don't care what you have to say! My name is PRESIDENT George W. Bush!"

Strong enough to go to war? Yes... Smart enough to listen to the advice of others? Absolutely not. Let's hope our foreign policy can change enough so that we learn how to share responsibility for the world with everybody else, instead of trying to hoard it all for ourselves. Let's surround ourselves with good advisors, namely the rest of the world. Otherwise, we might just find ourselves outcast from a world of people who have felt outcast for far too long. It's time for the bully to grow up.