>>Oh, you know what they're thinking?
>>
>>You seem to think that you do.
>>
>>I think the greatest damage Bush and Cheney did to our country was to our reputation. Their pugnacious, go-it-alone attitude was noted. We didn't used to be the world's pariah. That goes even for our closest allies. Respect for the U.S. has never been lower.
>>
>>I think that by the time Obama is finished, respect for the US will go even lower....
>
>We respectfully disagree. He is already repairing our damaged relations around the world.
>
>Still in Ireland? I am envious.

I agree with Marcia on this one. The fact that world opinion rose when we elected Obama as President only goes to show how ignorant the rest of world is when it comes to this country. Electing Obama didn't reflect that the majority of Americans agree with Obama's policies and positions. There were many reasons he was elected and it was different for each person who voted for him. Many people vote based on specific issues (abortion, world opinion, healthcare, taxes, defense, gay rights, anything not the same party as the previous 8 years, and yes, even his race). Also, many people who voted for him, and even some of those who didn't, do have high hopes for him. However, as with every President throughout our short history, his actions will determine how the people here in this country feel about him and how the world views him. He was fortunate the first few months where people for some reason disassociated his actions from him. He still high ratings while his policies and actions received low marks. In many cases, it depends on how important that issue is to the person. Some of his actions will increase public opinion here and decrease it elsewhere in the world and vice versa. Based on his actions so far, I am about 70% against, 30% okay with. The question is how important are his actions to me that fall into each group. For example, if you are a person who has lost their job and their house, his actions on the economy will be the most important thing to you at that time. If you are secure in your economic situation, another issue may be more important to you.