I’ve now had 6 people from 4 countries take me to task on the state of affairs at home, by which I mean the Iraq conflict specifically and the policies of Bush in general.

Typically, they broach the area with some delicacy, as when one pair told me they came to Australia instead of a planned trip to America because, well, (and here they blushed a bit) they really didn’t like what America stood for right now. In other instances, it was more direct: what’s the deal with Bush?

Once someone was even surprised that I was an American out and about, saying he thought that perhaps we would all be staying at home, afraid to venture out.

I try to tell everyone the same basic points: that I didn’t vote for Bush, and indeed the majority of Americans didn’t. That I am deeply, deeply concerned about many of his policies and those of his allies, and that I worry that real, lasting harm will be caused to our environment, our economy, our civil liberties, and our reputation in foreign affairs.

But then I tell them that I believe in the American electoral system, and in our ability to eventually find someone better. Otherwise, what’s the point?

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2003 at 10:44 pm and is filed under Travel.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.