Nor is there much evidence that this is really new. As the dominant power we are easy targets for such venting. And it is safe to vent at us since we never make anybody pay for such venting (nor should we, I hasten to add).
Yet our Left seems to perversely enjoy these public opinion hits:
American liberalism is heavily invested in this narrative of U.S. isolation. The Shiites have their annual ritual of 10 days of self-flagellation and penance, but this liberal narrative is ceaseless: The world once loved us, and all Parisians were Americans after 9/11, but thanks to President Bush we have squandered that sympathy.
It's like the Bush presidency is biting the apple and our Left has been suffering from that original sin.
Yet our alliance with Europe is as strong as ever, with the French and Germans electing pro-American rulers to replace their former leaders who exploited domestic annoyance with America for political gain.
Foreign opinion polls are just the irritants that spark runny-nosed bouts of Bush Derangement Syndrome in our own Left.
