Speaking as a Canadian, you really shouldn’t feel the need to apologise for your nation’s quirky personality or for the inconveniences you might cause the world from time to time. However, if you insist that amends are necessary, perhaps you could up the quotient of Tim Tebow content on your blog. We all knew that Romney would take New Hampshire but didn’t you think that TT would make a better showing?

hear, hear for the post!  and…

hear, hear for Nirvana unplugged!

The irony of Romney saying that Obama has reduced America’s standing in the world is incredible.  After eight years of Bush, and now the Republican clown car pile up, most Europeans think that Americans are war-mongering eejits who like machine-gunning fluffy animals to death and want to put teh gays and Mexicans into camps, and who will sacrifice their lives and livelihoods on the altar of free-market capitalism.  In other words - the image of America abroad is Rick fucking Perry.  Thanks a bunch, Republicans.

Not your fault, Betty. You are right,American exceptionalism is annoying sometimes. It is the bane of many nations. 

Even my country (Canada) fall prey to this sometimes.  It is a good thing to be proud of one’s country but there are limits to pride.  It can degenerate easily in chauvinism.

Luckily, you are open-minded enough to figure it out.  So I am (I think).

Well, I lived and worked for most of my career outside the U.S. (even now typing this in Beirut where it is pouring with rain), mainly in SE Asia and the Middle East and I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments of the ever enjoyable Betty.  That said, in my experience, at least, most of the benighted foreigners that I work with are clearly able to distinguish between the contemptible lot of U.S. politicians compared with the mostly nice ordinary Americans they meet (excepting the odd obnoxious hick businessman who can’t tolerate that these people speak whatever foreign “lingo” they’re speaking and don’t do business like they do in Topeka). In addition, with ever increasing global integration, they are indeed watching the wildly weaving Mac Truck in front of them.

Well, you’re addressing a Brit here, Betty, and nobody ever stood for Prime Minister without loving them some British exceptionalism, not infrequently while pledging to dismantle most of what’s made it exceptional in a positive sense. So no apology necessary.

I am assuming that many of you do follow our elections—perhaps in the same spirit that the driver of a Mini Cooper keeps tabs on the movements of a semi-truck that is fish-tailing wildly in the traffic ahead.

Much like that, except I’m not sure they ever made a clown car model of the Mini Cooper. And we’re lashed to a chain of antiquated Renaults, VWs, Skodas etc., arguing over who spent all the gas money and whose turn it is at the wheel.

That Nirvana song contains these lyrics:

What else should I say?
    Everyone is gay.

Something else to piss off the clown car.

The thing that I love about the foam finger “UESSAY” crowd is that the majority of them have never left their home county let alone the Country, but if Rush tells them this is the greatest country in the world then dammnit it is. 

I have travelled all over the world, and one of the nice things about that is that it made me appreciate Old Blighty even more.  Now having lived in the US for 20 years I consider the UK to be Utopia. 

YMMV YAFB.

My mother went apologizing for us all over France in 2005. Yes, observing Conservatrolls (Teach?), she surrendered to the Surrender Monkeys, with a glad heart, every time she was asked, “Booosh, why?” I did point out that fifty million Americans voted against him (it was nearly sixty million, actually~~and perhaps more, Black Box funny stuff being a possible factor).

So, though it sounds awfully RePub, Betty, perhaps we needn’t do more than half-pologize. Though if some of our tens of millions decide to punish the rest of the world by overturning the truck, rather than continue with the current driver, I suppose we’ll have to recalibrate our regrets, even as I’m recalibrating my regret at driving your wonderfully apt metaphor into the weeds.

Betty, I’m delighted you’re serving in the role of spokesperson for us humbler Americans. Thank you. Muchas gracias. Merci beaucoup.

“Booosh, why?”

Mr. Clinton was president last time I traveled abroad. But I was asked to explain the OJ verdict by many puzzled Austrians. To which I replied, “Fuckifino.”

Where’s the Mandarin version?

Signed,

Proud Driver of a Mini Cooper

Hear hear, Betty. As a fellow American, I find our constant chest-thumping embarrassing and more than a bit mystifying. I look at other countries - Ecuador comes to mind for some reason (I guess because I have friends from there) - and wonder what it would be like to grow up with a more modest sense of one’s place in the world. Seems it would be nice, but I guess I’ll never know.

Mr. Clinton was president last time I traveled abroad.

Same for me, and it got me a spittle-flecked 30-minute rant from my French barber about the absurdity of the Lewinsky thing.  I was in full smile-and-nod mode when he got to the part about how a powerful man should be able to have as many girlfriends as he wants.

Thanks Betty, much appreciated and so well put too. 

Every year we go to Canada to do some back country skiing with our Canadian friends, and every year I wonder why we don’t just stay there.  Well, then you guys elected Harper and I started wondering if the Boosh virus had gone Hot Zone on us.  I think I’ll wait a little longer and see what happens…

There is an advantage to living in Alaska (at least prior to the Quitter on Twitter). The rest of the world (and, sadly, most of the lower 48) think we’re a foreign country. There’s a lot of companies that don’t ship to Alaska because “you’re overseas”.

When I went to Yurrup in 1980 (my HS gradz present to myself), we were told that “Americans were ugly” and were worried when asked where we were from. Needless to say, there were many happy smiles when they heard “Alaska”. I even had questions about which continent it was on.

“Fuckifino.”

-I am shamelessly stealing that for future use.

Well represented, Ms. Cracker.  I’m afraid we are the Peter Pans of civilization, refusing to ever grow up . . . the curse of Johnny-come-lately, made up nations stolen from the natives in the name of a “good cause” . . .

@ Knittingbull—I wonder just how much the rise and fall of the Quitter on Twitter (which I will steal in return) has changed people’s perceptions of Alaska? Sadly, she immediately springs to mind for me when I hear the word, but hopefully that effect will fade over time. Y’all don’t deserve to be tarred with that booger-eating moron forever.

Well, for me, Snooki’s rise and fall introduced me to a vibrant Alaskan blogging community (I don’t agree with everything they post, and there are a couple I have little if any time for, but that’s better than par for the course) and some insights into what life’s like there, so unintended consequences and all that.

Mr. Clinton was president last time I traveled abroad

Clinton was president the last time I traveled to the US.  My sister went during the Bush years and got photographed and fingerprinted at the airport as a welcome.

I know one thing I keep meaning to ask Americans.  Are you still allowed to smile in your passport photos?  I saw an episode of NCIS the other year when Ziva got her American passport and she was smiling away which the rest of the world got banned from doing years ago due to American wishes.  Supposedly in the hunt for terrorists they thought it would be easier to spot one by making everybody look like one.

Are you still allowed to smile in your passport photos?

No.  You also have to part your hair on the left, or if you don’t part it, cut it to exactly shoulder length (with shoulder muscles relaxed).  Otherwise, the terrorists would win, silly!

They’re confiscating stick deodorant and cupcakes these days, folks.  In short: obey the airport rent-a-cop, or you’re a terrorist.

If we were truly the greatest country on Earth, we wouldn’t have to tell the rest of the world about it every ten seconds.

Our words and our deeds are often in opposition, and apparently we’re the only people on the planet that value the former over the latter.

America - the only place in the world where you can win a debate by accusing your opponent of being too smart.