Written By : John Hawkins

Thomas Friedman, in one of his more obtuse moments, is completely misreading the gossip he’s hearing at the Davos World Economic Forum:

As a political barometer, the Davos World Economic Forum usually offers up some revealing indicators of the global mood, and this year is no exception. I heard of a phrase being bandied about here by non-Americans — about the United States — that I can honestly say I’ve never heard before: “political instability.”

“Political instability” was a phrase normally reserved for countries like Russia or Iran or Honduras. But now, an American businessman here remarked to me, “people ask me about ‘political instability’ in the U.S. We’ve become unpredictable to the world.”

Mind you, people at international conferences love to criticize America, poke fun at America and complain about America. It is the only global sport more popular than soccer. But in the past, it was always done knowing that America was this global bedrock that could always be counted upon to lead. But this year is different. This year, Asians and Europeans, in particular, pull you aside and ask you some version of: “Tell me, what’s going on in your country?”

We’re making people nervous.

Banks, multinationals and hedge funds often hire foreign policy experts to do “political risk analysis” before they invest in places like, say, Kazakhstan or Argentina. They may soon have to add the United States to their watch lists.

You can understand why foreigners are uneasy. They look at America and see a president elected by a solid majority, coming into office riding a wave of optimism, controlling both the House and the Senate. Yet, a year later, he can’t win passage of his top legislative priority: health care.

So foreigners are baffled because Barack Obama can’t get his agenda through? That’s “political instability?”

Not say, his unsustainable levels of spending that are threatening the future of the country? The government taking over banks, car companies, and if the Democrats have their way, the health care system? The Obama administration coming up with unpredictable and punitive new laws, regulations, and taxes aimed at businesses? Throwing our Eastern European allies under the bus to appease Russia? Supporting a socialist dictator in Honduras against the people trying to preserve democracy? Unilaterally deciding that the “war on terror” is over? Standing back and doing nothing as Iran rushes towards nuclear weapons?

Quite frankly, America isn’t acting like America anymore. It’s acting like France or Belgium and despite the complaints you hear so often, that’s a terrifying prospect for the rest of the world. As we speak, America’s super power status is slowly but surely dying under the boot heel of the worst President in the history of our country and “fixing it” won’t be easy.

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