New Era? Let's Hope So...

Here was a thought from a friend on Facebook. It came a day after President Obama had his picture taken, shaking hands and smiling with Hugo Chavez. Aftermath, of course, was typical on the Rush Limbaugh side of the fence...But I agree with my friend Matt, who said, "I'm glad that our President is shaking hands with leaders with whom we disagree sharply...it gives me hope that our reputation in the world might improve, and it doesn't mean that we have to compromise our principles. It's called leadership, and I'm encouraged." Hopefully, that is yet another sign that we are leaving the era of hawkish foreign policy to actual diplomacy. Would be nice if the moniker Ugly American weren't so representative of our national identity and yet hard to refute based on our leadership.