I am having trouble figuring out what led to bigwill's reaction. To the extent there was any bashing of the USA going on, and I don't think there really was, my guess is that it was actually being done more by Americans than Canadians. The fact is, when you are perceived to be (or perceive yourself to be) the "biggest and the baddest," you likely are going to get the most attention and be subject to the most criticism. There are examples throughout society--sports, business, celebrity, etc. Politics and government is no different. And frankly, in the case of politics and government, I'm not sure that it should be different. What the US does typically will have more significant global implications than, say, what Slovenia does. Discussing things on a bulletin board isn't going to change anything directly, of course, but reasoned discourse nonetheless is important, especially with people who you disagree with.
Let me add to how impressed I am by Dean's knowledge as well. (I am assuming what you are saying is factually correct!) I don't actually agree with some (many) of your conclusions, but they clearly are based on an impressive base of knowledge and experience, and thus are interesting to read.
bridgman: nice post above. Well stated, and I agree with much of what you said.
