Lets keep alienating the rest of the world...

[BarTopDancer]

http://orangecounty.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D88S679O0

"He is a man of good experience," Bush said. "He helped manage a large organization .... a skilled diplomat, worked at the State Department."

Wolfowitz, 61, was among the most forceful of those in the Bush administration in arguing that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and he had predicted that Americans would be welcomed as liberators rather than occupiers once they toppled Saddam's government.

Yup. Keep up the good work Bushie. Put a liar incharge of the World Bank. Just keep alienating the world against us.

[SacTown Chronic]

I believe Dubya foretold of this event in his recent Inaugural Address (http://www.whitehouse.org/news/2005/012005.asp).

[scaeagles]

Hmmm.....anyone read the recent NY Times article citing evidence of "controlled looting" immediately following the initial invasion? Iraqis who new exactly what to get and where to get it to protect it from discovery.

Personally, I doubt the NY Times runs with that story unless they know some irrefutable evidence of the WMD is about to be released.

Just my opinion. Which I state regularly.

[BarTopDancer]

Hmmm.....anyone read the recent NY Times article citing evidence of "controlled looting" immediately following the initial invasion? Iraqis who new exactly what to get and where to get it to protect it from discovery.

Personally, I doubt the NY Times runs with that story unless they know some irrefutable evidence of the WMD is about to be released.

I haven't. Can you please link it?

Just my opinion. Which I state regularly.

I am so glad you do. What a boring board/world this would be if we all thought exactally alike.

[scaeagles]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/international/middleeast/13loot.html?ex=1111294800&en=2908f890e8beb814&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY

Here ya' go.

[BarTopDancer]

I wanted to say I am so very sorry for not replying earlier. I saw this link at work and I kept getting interupted. I have every intention of reading it tomorrow when I am a bit more awake. I am not avoding it.

[Gemini Cricket]

Who cares about the rest of the world? Only like 4% of Americans have passports.
;)

[Alex]

Actually according to Department of State numbers there are about 60 million passports meaning that about 20% of Americans have passports. And I imagine that number would be much higher if going to Mexico or Canada required the possession of one. We can travel our whole continent without needing a passport. Until recently a German couldn't drive in a straight line for more than a few hours without needing one.

The 20% is similar to passport possession in Canada which is a bit closer to 25%.

Here's at least one lefty (http://www.slate.com/id/2114929/) who doesn't think Wolfowitz heading the World Bank will be such a terrible thing.

[blueerica]

Here's at least one lefty (http://www.slate.com/id/2114929/) who doesn't think Wolfowitz heading the World Bank will be such a terrible thing.

Interesting editorial on it. Interesting speculations...

[Gemini Cricket]

Actually according...
Actually, my post was more of a joke about the overflowing patriotism that keeps Americans from leaving the US... But thanks for the info.

However, I do think 20% is still low. More people should travel out of country or at the very least out of their own state. Is that 20% who own them or 20% who own and use them to travel outside of the US?

[Alex]

I have no way of knowing that. Just that passports aren't a good way of tracking a concept like insularity (the passport thing is used a lot to show this).

The most likely foreign country to be visited by the English (I would assume) is France. Until a few years ago this required a passport. The most likely foreign countries to be visited by Americans are Canada and Mexico, neither of which would require a passport (though after 9/11 it certainly eases the crossing). I've done 9,000+ mile road trips without needing a passport or papers of any type beyond a drivers license

The other end is a place like Singapore where I'm sure passport possession is near 100% (if not mandated by the government) since you can't leave town without needing a passport.

The difference in geography has a lot to do with prevalance of foreign travel. When I was in Singapore the closest mall had five different package travel companies set up in those walkway wagons hawking $200 weekend travel packages to any of a dozen countries. That's because Singapore is close to any of a dozen countries. For Americans getting to the same countries is going to cost hundreds of dollars just for airfare. In Singapore the local commuter train goes through three countries.

Just getting to Singapore meant 24 hours of travel on either end of the leg, combine this with the fact that vacations longer than two weeks are practically unheard of (and generally only a week) and I don't think you have a nation of people who are less interested in international travel but a nation of people with different geographic, financial, and social limiters on travel.

I've never heard a person say "I love America more than any other country, so I'm not going to go to Europe" but I always hear "I'd love to go, but it is too expensive" or "it isn't worth all the travel time to just stay for five days."

[BarTopDancer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/international/middleeast/13loot.html?ex=1111294800&en=2908f890e8beb814&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY

Here ya' go.

Very interesting! I'll have to ponder this.