Win, Lose or Draw?

President Obama's trip to Europe left many Americans with a bittersweet taste in their mouth.

His inability to secure commitment from any European nation to help with the fighting in Afghanistan was viewed by many as a colossal failure, especially in conjunction with the fact pretty much all of Europe disagrees with the size and scope of the White House's plan to jolt the global economy out of recession.

The President was however able to signal to the world the United States is no longer interested in the "go it alone" strategy that marked much of the Bush Administration stance on foreign policy. In cities from London to Prague to Istanbul, Obama received a raucous welcome to his promise to listen and consult more, as he took his first turn on the world stage as president.

Then there is the whole issue of whether or not Obama bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The bow should not be viewed as anything more than a show of respect. What some Americans need to understand is we are in the dawn of a new era and we can no longer afford to treat the rest of the world with contempt and disrespect.

I'm proud of our President for being so considerate of other peoples and cultures and those peoples' leaders. It's a highly intelligent course of action, to treat others with respect. I guess after eight years of conservatives labeling everyone they met with brown skin a "terrorist," it's hard for people, especially conservative journalists, to accept such mature behavior.