THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING

Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are joined in pre-poll-closing commentary on the election. They've agreed that the world is watching to see if the people of the U.S. are going to vote for Republicans, which will indicate that America backs the Iraq war, or Democratic, which will send the message that the American government is to blame, not the people.

That's an interesting and accurate (I believe) assessment. Up till now many across the world have been split on their sentiments about the U.S., thinking that while the Bush/Cheney administration has proven to be a dangerous, militaristic, destabilizing force that threatens peace, the American people are good, honorable, and charitable. If the American electorate deliver a vote today that essentially validates the administration's policies, the rest of the world will perceive that they have been mistaken: that Americans approve of Bush's foreign policy.

And that will be disastrous for our standing among nations.

In the anti-Vietnam War protests of the late sixties and early seventies there was a slogan that was often chanted for the media to record: "The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching."

It's never been so true as it is now.

Tags: midterm elections, world opinion