So attempting to enforce immigration laws hurts our image abroad?

It does, just as it has hurt quite a few European countries who have done the same thing. It does not matter if you enforce already existing immigration laws or if you make new and tougher ones, the way it is going to be intepreted in some areas of the world is just the same. That is one of the points with soft power, the intended message or the actual deed matters less than the way it is being framed in the other end. At least in practice.

/Jeppe, a resident in the country of the infamous Muhammed Cartoons

Without being too partisan, what would really help America's image abroad would be for a Democrat to be elected president. The Republican candidates are pretty much beyond the pale for most of the world. I think there would be a big sigh of relief is the Democrat won. That doesn't mean that an era of pro-Americanism would begin, but at least there would be an opportunity. I can't see how any of the current GOP candidates could do much to improve our image abroad unless they govern completely differently from how they are running (as Bush did). Statements about doubling the size of Guantanamo, bringing in Jack Bauer, etc. are not exactly going to endear us to the rest of the world.

"Without being too partisan, what would really help America's image abroad would be for a Democrat to be elected president."

Yeah, that's not too partisan...

Yeah, that's not too partisan...

Ok, it's partisan but it's also realistic. Most other countries hate Bush and none of the GOP candidates are likely to distance themselves signficantly from Bush. I acknowledge that anti-Americanism preceded Bush but it's become much worse since he took office. Like it or not, I suspect most non-Americans are rooting for a Democrat to win.

Why would anyone not be "partisan" (whatever that even means)? Are there still some people who haven't noticed that the Republican Party has basically spent the last 15 years destroying one of the world's great republics? Hello??

Marc, Given the Democrats position on opening up trade ( ie. don't open it up & start restricting trade ), I find it hard to imagine why you'd think the rest of the world would consider either candidate a good thing.
Immigration, Religion, Abortion. Three words which restrict what by rights should be an increase in Soft Power, Immigration extremists like Huckabee just look bad, Religion & Government don't mix period, Roe v Wade has removed any subtlety from that debate causing both sides to look extremist.
But for all that, people like Ron Paul / John McCain do soften the US image.
The breadth of opinions is amazing, so there is some benefit, but it reminds of a book I read about the US struggling to work out just which message from the Kremlin was the important one during the Cold War & the US has turned into that now, it's very very difficult from the outside to work out what the primary US position is in regards trade, Iraq, Iran etc etc & that helps ensure that the gain in soft power is at best extremely minimal, if there is any gain at all.