I never said I thought Bush was highly intelligent. But IMHO common sense goes a long way in picking leaders.
Also I am not trying (like other American's I admit) to say that that US is the shiny beacon above all other countries. Do we have things to be proud of. Of course. Do we have some black marks. Duh! What country doesn't. Well....perhaps Luxembourg.
Also...to finish out this fun convo (damn the towing man!), I think it's fine to criticize the US and it's actions provided that you have a bit of perspective. Europeans should be careful about throwing stones in glass houses. We are talking about countries that meddled in world affairs for 400 years, caused many of today’s problems, and are now the ones who have all the answers?? I don't think so. This would kind of be like China criticizing the US for human rights violations (which they probably do).
Jim