The pound is down the US$1.63 and the Euro is down to $1.32.  The Dot and I might just be able to afford a trip overseas next summer without breaking the bank (as if they weren't already broken, eh?).  So, what's that got to do with Obama and Company?

Lots.

For the last seven years I've always made sure I've got my "He's not My President!" button on when I travel to Europe.  If I'm lucky, I get mistaken for a Canadian.  If I'm not, I'm subject to all sorts of rants & rages until I let the ranter know that I'm ranting & raging against Bush and company, too.  A lot of folks say "So what if the rest of the world hates us."  Guess what?  The rest of the world has a choice when buying things.  They can buy from us.  They can buy from China.  They can buy from Russia.  So, if you really, really, hate someone, who do you buy from?  Certainly not the one you don't like very much.  As my late father once said, "I won't appeal to your better nature, for you obviously don't have one, so I'll appeal to your greed."

Being liked overseas is, simply put, better for our nation's bottom line.  I've sold my software overseas since the mid 1980's.  It's a lot easier to interact with potential customers when they don't think your country is run by idiots.

And what of this election?  Check out this Recent Entry in the London Telegraph.

While Obama isn't the universal selection of Europeans, he is head and shoulders above McCain.  He's up in the heavens when compared with Bush.  The "change" they see in Obama isn't a change towards radicalism, it's a change back to the US working as a partner with Europe rather than a bully.  It's a change back to using discourse rather than arms to settle differences.  It's a change to building up rather than breaking down.

And that's just Europe.  Africa sees a man with the same color of skin.  He has ties of blood to Kenya.  Africans feel that they will get a fair hearing from a man who has sat with tribal elders as an equal.  The middle east sees a man with the middle name of "Hussein".  Now that name may raise hackles in the US, but in the Middle East it means that here is a man that won't shoot first and ask questions later.  Even though there are no real ties to the Middle East, they'll see that middle name and feel a kinship.  And that kinship will bring people to the table that would never come there for a man whose middle name is "Sidney".

I've always been proud to be an American.  I've been embarrassed to be one over the last couple of years.  When confronted I always say "America's smart.  We'll eventually get rid of the idiots and have reasonable people at the top again."  This time around I'm pretty hopeful that we will.