Frankly after McCain's recent comments that he would prefer to do away with the first amendment if the result would be and end to government corruption I wouldn't let him back in the country.

The written languages in Belgium are Dutch and French, not Flemish and French. Flemish is a regional variant in the way Dutch is pronounced. Strictly speaking there's not a Belgian accent, therefore, merely local Belgian regional variants in the pronunciation of French and Dutch.

Loretta Sanchez is living proof of the idiocy of open-borders Republicans. She beat Bob Dornan, who was a Republican immigration enthusiast, basically because of the growth of the Mexican population in the district (Central OC , California) . It's interesting that she wants to cozy up to McCain.

"Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez taking great pains to plow over anyone and everyone separating her from McCain as we were all leaving dinner so she could sit next to him on the ride back to the hotel."

Dan, good to see your sense of humor intact, especially after the loss of your coffee table book! Loretta Sanchez's sister, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, represents the 39th Congressional District in Congress, the district within which my college is located. I applaud her for the intensive internship program that she sponsors, which provides competitive opportunities for area college students to work in her district office or in Washington. See www.lindasanchez.house.gov. The Sanchez' are the first two sisters to serve together in the U.S. Congress. Loretta Sanchez was featured in the PBS educational video, "Framework for Democracy." It turns out she's got one of the most agressive constituency service practices I've ever heard of: She sets up tables at local supermarkets in her district, and essentialy takes her office to the people. The clip makes for interesting classroom discussions during our Congress segments.

" There's no question that the official rancor between the United States and much of Europe that was on full display in 2003 is now gone."

The "official" rancor or lack thereof has always been a useless barometer of the deep-down attitudes between nations. Chirac in particular, and especially Berlusconi, have long been opportunistic, Alcibiades-worthy snakes who wouldn't hesitate to switch positions on a dime and stab their erstwhile friends in the back. As you say, their superficial formalities mean even less since they themselves are in beleaguered governments.

What matters more is the attitude on the ground, among the rank-and-file, as this is where the "heart and soul" of the country lies. If anything, the bitterness against the US of many Euro countries is a lot *worse* than even the most intense days of protests in the months preceding and following the Iraq War. You can see this in the Pew Polls and in personal conversations with the people if you speak their language (and aren't buying anything from them).

What really surprised me in Europe recently, is the fulminant anti-American rage of the Dutch of all people. As I said, the Iraq War is just one small segment of this. They're especially angry at the cavalier way Bush approaches the global warming and polar ice cap issue. All those cool canals and structures in the Low Countries, are course, are teh extraordinary products of centuries of land reclaimed from the sea, and even minor human-induced temperature increases could spell disaster for the Netherlands.

I met plenty of Brits in the Netherlands too. Admittedly this was often in the midst of bar hops when the blokes weren't quite in any sort of serious conversation mode, but during the daytime the usual so-you're-a-Yankee-change-your-damn-policies talk came up. The Brits, like the Dutch, are endangered by global warming and furious at Bush and the US in general over our attitude to it. It's not that they necessarily buy into all the dire predictions, but this is a serious issue and the despise the way it's almost dismissed in the US. The lesson for today? Our government's cavalier attitude about global warming and other environmental issues is really raising the ire of an awful lot of people who might otherwise be our friends and probably doing us tangible damage. We might want to reconsider our attitudes on this. Shorter lesson for today-- we've still got major unpopularity problems among Europeans, they don't like us there, and they won't start liking us as long as we're seen, fairly or not, as a hegemonic entity trying to plant our bases on all the world's corners. We really have to take a sober look and ask what in the world we're gaining with these proto-imperialistic policies?

Did the coffee table book fold out into a mini-coffee table?

"Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez taking great pains to plow over anyone and everyone separating her from McCain as we were all leaving dinner so she could sit next to him on the ride back to the hotel."

Senator John McCain, Rock Star. I had a look at Congresswoman Loretta's web site and I wouldn't want to get in her way but not for the same reason I wouldn't want to get in Bella Abzug's way. Loretta looks determined. Hmmm, Sanchez and McCain are from neighboring states. Do you suppose they're an .... No, let's not go there.

Dan, you missed a major opportunity. I've always wanted to enquire whether it's hard to breathe when one has one's nose so firmly up a certain location. And there you were and (apparently) didn't ask the question!