POTUS Obama took time off from his busy schedule of appearing on television to appear on television. This Sunday, on 60 Minutes (the Lawrence Welk Show of mainstream news), the President refutes Dick Cheney’s assertation that the current administration has put the nation at greater risk of terrorism.

The President counters the charge by asking “How many terrorists have actually been brought to justice under the philosophy that is being promoted by Vice President Cheney?” Well, given that the Taliban is no longer a Clinton-tolerated world power, and that Al-Qaida is effectively emasculated in most of the world, and that most Americans think that that terrorism has been dealt a severe blow worldwide, the Czar might conclude “most of them.”

The President adds “[Bush foreign policy] hasn’t made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment.” Dare we offend Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Sudan further? Libya was so against American forein policy that it not only abandoned its nuclear ambitions, but turned over its research and a couple of terrorists to authorities. Relations with England have never been stronger, up until we offended them with trinkets that serve no function. Autralia, Poland, Spain, Ireland—you know, the countries emerging as the powerhouses of the 21st Century—seem to like us. The Czar suspects that POTUS Obama’s definition of “anti-American” seems to be limited to countries hoping our our deaths and France…and that may be one category.

The Czar also waits for the Obama State Department to get around to strengthening our international status, rather than fumble around with gaffe after gaffe and novelty stunts. Heck, China tossed us an easy one that we muffed in the outfield.

Listen to your Volgi. The world cares not a tinker’s cuss if America is the kewl neighbor next door with the awsum flat panel display. The world, starting over two centuries ago right until this very second, only respects America when she means business. No matter how badly we think the world wants to love us, we are alone in that fantasy.

“Countries outside the democratic world don’t perceive primarily perceive you as benevolent or mean, first comes ‘strong’ or ‘weak.’”

Amen.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.