A Stumbling Giant

Interesting weekend, to say the least. ... And by interesting, I mean intoxicated.

Anyway, I read this and thought it was an interesting take.

There is a lesson in this. America is viewed as weak at the moment, distracted and drained because of Iraq—and everybody out there is taking advantage of it. Too often, Americans tend to see other players on the international stage as merely part of the backdrop, conforming to our movements or remaining stationary while we get our act together. In fact, most of these world leaders are aggressive players in their own right who will push back, and hard, when they see softness. Like Libya, they are betting that George W. Bush is too out of resources and time to protest while they make a mockery of his agenda and his leadership.