This has easily got to be the stupidest story of the year

The IHT breathlessly reports that in a survery of "world" public opinion, Kerry trounces Bush.

If the world could cast a vote in the United States presidential election, John Kerry would beat George W. Bush by a landslide, according to a poll released on Wednesday that is described as the largest sample of global opinion on the race. . "It is absolutely clear that John Kerry would win handily if the people of the world could vote," said Steve Kull, director of The Program on International Policy Attitudes of the University of Maryland, a co-sponsor of the survey. "It is rather striking that just one in five people surveyed around the world support the re-election of President Bush."

It is rather striking that Professor Kull (I wonder, does his mate call him "Kull the Conqueror" in bed? Maybe it's just me....) thinks that is so amazing, really, on a number of levels. First, it somehow is premised on the idea that to be an effective promoter of American interests equates to remaining popular in certain areas abroad. Second, it's part of the Adlai Stevenson Fallacy subscribed to by the hardcore left in America (excuse me, Amerika) that somehow citizens would look up from their morning NYT, drop their scone, and say, "Mon dieu! We can't let this happen! How will we be received next sabbatical at our favorite cafe in Provence if this were to happen?" Respected abroad is not the same thing as being safe at home, as we found out because of our foreign policy under Warren Christopher and Madeline Albright.

The most negative attitude toward the U.S. came from France, Germany and Mexico, where roughly 80 percent of those surveyed thought that the foreign policies of President Bush had made them feel worse about the United States.

Hmmmmm, if you ran the same poll in, say, 1942 you'd probably get the same result. Let's just face the facts: to the left, the "international community" translates to just that: France and Germany. And the foreign policy of these two benighted countries translates to one thing: appeasement.

It's also the Cornelius Fudge Theory of Leadership and Public Opinion in action as well: when faced with overwhelming evidence that your world view is shattered by the presence of evil, it's much better to demonize the messenger than confront the demon. Of course the US is unpopular, because the fecklessness and paper soldier mentality of the UN has been proved to be the ridiculous sham that it is. "Never Again" has become "Never again be reminded of the need to do the unpopular and difficult thing in the face of danger and difficulty, when it's much easier to slouch off to Starbucks for a latte and to check out the latest Ted Rall cartoon in the weekly free newspaper."