America's lost prestige

I just read an article by Byron Williams entitled, "Sadly, the United States has lost its prestige abroad". That is so true. As you know, I just got back from a trip to Ireland and England. You should have heard my mild-mannered friends mocking the president - his swagger, the way he holds his arms out when he walks saying, "Look at me; I'm so macho." We are disdained. We are a laughing stock. It grieves me so much that we have squandered the good will that was ours right after 9/11.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

What is the contemporary definition of American prestige? I know it is a term that is loosely thrown around, mostly by politicians and pundits, but what does it really mean?

I suspect that American prestige post-World War II differs from the post-Cold War period, which unquestionably differs from today. Is American prestige based on our looking out or the world looking in?

It is safe to suggest that American prestige immediately following 9/11 differs from today's global perception.
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However one defines prestige, it should be clear to all that the United States no longer has the moral capital to sway governments by its word.
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How could American prestige not take a global beating given certain realities? Every reason and justification the administration has provided for invading and occupying Iraq has proved to be false.
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How do we reclaim that which I believe we've lost?

We must address the U.S. torture policy authentically. There is simply no excuse for what happened, given the documents that our government has released.

The voracity with which talk radio, cable television and members of Congress wrongly attacked Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin for suggesting that what went on at Guantanamo Bay was reminiscent of some of the most sadistic regimes in history, must now be matched to uncover the truth.

We must also swallow the bitter pill of reality that there are no good choices when it comes to Iraq -- only the best of a bad lot. This would suggest an immediate troop withdrawal.

We cannot continue to place our troops in harm's way for the sake of prestige. If that is the argument at this late date, then the prestige has already been lost.

These are not overnight solutions, but they begin the process to recapture what has been lost in the war on terror.

I agree that these are the ways to regain our lost prestige. Sadly, I think it is extremely unlikely that we will do them. We don't seem to care.