"America Is So Much Better Than This" - by Sen. Russ Feingold

"In March, the Pew Research Center found that one year after the start of the war in Iraq, "discontent with America and its policies has intensified rather than diminished" across the world. Majorities in Pakistan, Jordan, Morocco and Turkey believe that the U.S. is exaggerating the terrorist threat. They doubt the sincerity of the U.S. war on terrorism and say that it is an effort to control Mideast oil and dominate the world. The Center found that "at least half the people in countries other than the U.S. say as a result of the war in Iraq they have less confidence that the United States is trustworthy. Similarly, majorities in all of these countries say they have less confidence that the U.S. wants to promote democracy globally." Our motives are questioned, our public justifications and explanations viewed with skepticism, and our post-9/11 public diplomacy efforts have too often missed the mark, substituting pop music broadcasts, brochures and videos for the kind of respectful dialogue and engagement that could convince generations of angry young people that their humiliation is not our goal."

This is a very good representation of the sentiments that I hear in Turkey regarding the US-led war in Iraq. This is taken from a speech by Sen. Russ Feingold from Wisconsin. I'm not trying to begin intense political debate here, family and friends, but I think it's important to know how we are viewed around the word. If anyone is interested in more of this speech, you can find it here.