hey the americans are really good with certain fields of science and industry, the best in the world. and bustling with opportunity. germans often publicly admire the states for their ability to seemingly completely change themselves in the shortest time. that usually takes a generation here, and i admire the states in many other ways too. in many ways the states are also intellectual, ideological and innovative leaders, notice the people too, not just the government and the extreme conservatives. many good things start in the states, even today.

the negative stuff you point out is valid, but so is the impending demise of the species if we dont stop population growth, pullution, WMDs and many other “little” things. i hope you find back to optimism, because the states will do what they want, no matter how the rest of the world feels. award or no award.

and you can always lead by example. :)

He didn’t win it “for” his work during his presidency, but “how” he’s working (before and) during his presidency.