[Filibuster_60]

Good point. The increasing boldness of rivals like China has something to do with our ever-declining popularity in nominally allied nations in both Europe and Asia. China's seized the initiative in Southeast Asia, offering an agenda of economic cooperation while Bush can't talk much beyond fighting terror. Asians (and many Europeans) despise Bush's visits to their countries with an army of heavily-armed security guards, not bothering to mix with the locals and treating their hosts as little more than lieutenants in fighting terror.

China's new leadership has won the Asian popularity contest against the US, hands-down. They're confident that the world is on their side when it comes to Taiwan. Anyone who says there's no downside to the world's rising anti-Americanism is daydreaming.

[HELLRAISER II]

It amazes me that our fellow country-man (even though they're DemocRats) can't see that we're in the cross hairs.