One could write a novel's worth of differences between our new President and the previous Executive. No matter the topic, you are bound to find a split in opinion between the two. That also goes for how the world sees the two men. While we as "free" Americans were allowed to protest Dubya in specially designated First Amendment zones, countries around the world would meet President Bush with a flood of protesters holding all sorts of anti-Bush signs and the passion to back it up.
Now that Barack Obama is traveling to his first foreign country (directly north of us), the atmosphere has decidedly changed:
Already, there’s been a noticeable difference in the way the Canadian public has received the two presidents. Bush was wildly unpopular in Canada. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who supported the Iraq war (and later admitted it was a mistake), was lambasted by Canadians as supporting “Harper-Bush” policies. Not surprisingly, Bush’s visits to Canada spurred massive protests:– “Thousands of protesters marched on Parliament Tuesday, rallying against President Bush’s visit and the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Twelve people were arrested after scuffling with police on the fringes of the peaceful demonstration.”[...]“Early Crowds Await Obama,” the Toronto Star reads today. “American flags are being hung up around Ottawa in preparation” for Obama’s visit, reports the Ottawa Citizen. Some of the stories today:– “Small groups of people gathered in the pre-dawn gloom on Parliament Hill in hopes of catching a glimpse of [Obama]. Not even a snowfall could deter diehard fans of the popular U.S. leader.”– “With stars and stripes flapping in the wind, enamoured Canadians will line the streets of the capital today trying to catch a fleeting glimpse of U.S. President Barack Obama.”
Everyone had a hunch that Obama would be treated better around the world than Bush was, and now we have our first clear indication of that. Of course, it isn't some unexplained phenomenon. Barack Obama actually cares what the world thinks of us and is committed to being a nation among nations, unlike the Deciderer that came before him. "Change" wasn't just some empty rhetorical device that Republicans claim it was (since that is what they rely on to snatch up voters every two years). With an active citizenry pushing Congress and the President (that Obama encourages), we will see that change come to fruition in the next four to eight years, both here at home and abroad.
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