Palin

[Grace]

Two years ago my son spent 14 days in Vienna, Budapest, Prague, and Venice with the International Scholar Laureate Program as a member of the diplomacy delegation. It was a few months before the Presidential election. Mike had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with a diplomat about what problems the next president would face. The diplomat told him it's going to take YEARS to undo the damage done by the Bush administration. The delegates, who represented our best and brightest, experienced a lot of anti American sentiment while there. The advisor told them not to take it personally because it wasn't aimed at them as individuals, it was because Bush was so intensely despised by other countries.

Very interesting. Our neighbor's daughter was in Austria for a one year Fulbright Scholarship the last year of President Bush's term. She and the other American students were subjected to a lot of anti-American sentiment. It was so bad that most of them opted to come back to the USA for their second year of post-grad work.

And nothing has really changed - has it? We're still killing innocent people; still trying to impose our policies on others.

[Lady's Human]

There has been anti-American sentiment in Europe for decades, it's not a new issue. To hear a European Diplomat say that it's all the previous President's fault is rather amusing, after all, European diplomats have done a wonderful job keeping the peace for the last 200 years. These are the same people who referred to the empire building and warfighting in the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries as "The Great Game".

Not sure them not liking us is a bad thing.........

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Don't forget between the two Bushes was a Clinton. He didn't do us any favors either. (In my opinion of course)

[momcat]

There has been anti-American sentiment in Europe for decades, it's not a new issue. To hear a European Diplomat say that it's all the previous President's fault is rather amusing, after all, European diplomats have done a wonderful job keeping the peace for the last 200 years. These are the same people who referred to the empire building and warfighting in the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries as "The Great Game".

Not sure them not liking us is a bad thing.........

Who said it was a European diplomat? It wasn't, it was a career American diplomat who was working with our delegates. Bush alienated our foreign allies through his idiotic, war mongering policies not to mention his stupidity. Sadly, the anti-Americans the delegates encountered didn't understand or realize the majority of the ISLP delegates did not support Bush or even vote for him.

[Lady's Human]

In which case the diplomat in question should be fired, as the diplomats are supposed to support and carry out the directives of the Administration.

To elaborate, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Diplomats need to be completely and totally apolitical, especially when dealing with underlings/recruits/trainees. If they can't be apolitical, they need to find a new line of work.

[momcat]

In which case the diplomat in question should be fired, as the diplomats are supposed to support and carry out the directives of the Administration.

You couldn't be more wrong or misinformed about the ISLP program. The student delegates were NOT trainees or anything of the sort. This is a selective program for high college level academic achievers to add an exceptional learning experience to their education. They learned about the role of diplomacy in international relations through many different activities. This conversation was exclusively between my son and the diplomat at a private reception for all diplomats and students in the program. I fully support this diplomat and his comment. He was absolutely right and said it in a private conversation. This gentleman is entitled to his opinion and in this case it's based on hard facts. As long as the diplomat participates in negotiations and other diplomatic activities in full compliance with established diplomatc protocol there's absolutely no reason for him to be fired. You don"t know that he does or ever has violated diplomatic protocol while on the job