# International opinion of the USA under Obama is far, far better than it was under Bush **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 30, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654 "2014-05-30T18:24:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/1 "2014-05-30T18:24:18Z")
Article [here](http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/05/is-the-world-really-losing-faith-in-barack-obama/371884/). Polling results [here](http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/07/18/chapter-2-global-opinion-of-barack-obama/). It’s been a popular refrain from the right that the world sees us as weaker under Obama. I think these results show that this is wildly false. In 2007, only 26% of international respondents had confidence that Bush would “do the right thing in world affairs”, while 69% had no confidence. In 2013, 55% of international respondents had confidence that Obama would “do the right thing in world affairs”, while 35% had no confidence. The vast majority of countries, including almost all of our allies, are far more confident that Obama would do the right thing as opposed to Bush with regards to world affairs. So Republicans like Cheney are way, way wrong here. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/2 "2014-05-30T19:29:15Z")
Why is this in Elections? Somehow I don’t think America’s prestige abroad is going to be a major issue in the midterms. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/3 "2014-05-30T19:40:42Z")
I think the conservative pundits peddling this story are probably technically right. International confidence in Obama probably has declined since 2009. But I can’t imagine there’s any way it will ever sink as low as international confidence in Bush was. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/4 "2014-05-30T19:48:14Z")
“Do the right thing,” and “appearing weaker” are not necessarily mutually contradictory. Particularly if the people being polled think “Do the right thing” means “don’t flex our military muscles.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/5 "2014-05-30T20:59:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think the conservative pundits peddling this story are probably technically right. 😕 Why would **they** be peddling a story that makes Obama look good?! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/6 "2014-05-30T23:14:40Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “Do the right thing,” and “appearing weaker” are not necessarily mutually contradictory. Particularly if the people being polled think “Do the right thing” means “don’t flex our military muscles.” Lately, flexing our military muscles has made us weaker in both appearance and reality. ‘Flexing military muscles’ has nothing to do with strength. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/7 "2014-05-30T23:17:46Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “Do the right thing,” and “appearing weaker” are not necessarily mutually contradictory. Particularly if the people being polled think “Do the right thing” means “don’t flex our military muscles.” Yep > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Lately, flexing our military muscles has made us weaker in both appearance and reality. ‘Flexing military muscles’ has nothing to do with strength. Nothing? Really??? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/8 "2014-05-30T23:22:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Nothing? Really??? Absolutely. Having a strong military is part of being strong. But ‘flexing our military muscles’? That can make us stronger, sure (like in WWII), but it can also make us weaker (like in Vietnam, or in the most recent Iraq war). In the oughts, it made us weaker. So if all I hear is ‘Bush flexed our military muscles more than Obama’, that tells me nothing about under which President we were stronger. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/9 "2014-05-31T16:15:19Z")
I suppose not trying to get their kids killed in Iraq and Afghanistan might have something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/10 "2014-05-31T18:39:46Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Why would **they** be peddling a story that makes Obama look good?! They’re not presenting it in a way that makes Obama look good. They don’t compare Obama to Bush and point out Obama has greater approval. They compare Obama in 2009 to Obama in 2014 and point out that his approval has declined. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/11 "2014-05-31T19:00:53Z")
Remember, the Europeans were so hysterically glad to see Bush out of office that they gave Obama a Nobel Peace Prize for, essentially, nothing. People in other countries hated and reviled Bush much more than Americans did. Even most conservatives now think he was a well-intentioned fuckup, at best. I’m sure there’s a certain core of Republicans that still think he was a great president, but hey, idiots gotta idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/12 "2014-05-31T19:41:36Z")
Im sure Putin prefers Obama to Bush, as do most of the bad guys around the world. Popularity is entirely different to effectiveness, respect or fear. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/13 "2014-05-31T19:52:14Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Im sure Putin prefers Obama to Bush, as do most of the bad guys around the world. Popularity is entirely different to effectiveness, respect or fear. Are you kidding? The Taliban LURVED the Bush Administration! They were mindless idiots that could be shoved all over the place, an elephant that could be goaded into stomping its own allies flat. I don’t buy the notion that Obama was ever a three-dimensional chess player, but the Bush Administration, in terms of international politics, was the sort of gang that lost consistently at tic-tac-toe even when you spotted them the first move. National leaders whose interests were at odd with America’s, including Putin, would MUCH rather have idiots like the Bush Administration to push around than have to mess with a halfway competent administration like Obama’s. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/14 "2014-05-31T21:23:31Z")
**International opinion of the USA under Obama is far, far better than it was under Bush** This is a pretty low bar. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/15 "2014-05-31T22:01:56Z")
**Fuzzy\_wuzzy** , does bin Laden also prefer Obama to Bush? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/16 "2014-05-31T23:12:16Z")
Republicans say weak. You say popular. This does not make Republicans wrong, since popularity does not equal strength. What you think you’ve proven wrong is not provable one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/17 "2014-06-01T01:42:26Z")
Surely you’ve read _Presidential Power_. Popularity is the very core of power and strength. The best allies are those who trust each other and believe they are working towards a common goal. The weakest are those where you must resort to force to convince them to assist you. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/18 "2014-06-01T01:58:50Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Republicans say weak. You say popular. This does not make Republicans wrong, since popularity does not equal strength. > > What you think you’ve proven wrong is not provable one way or the other. How about if we substitute influential for popular? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/19 "2014-06-01T02:09:54Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Republicans say weak. You say popular. This does not make Republicans wrong, since popularity does not equal strength. > > What you think you’ve proven wrong is not provable one way or the other. No, I don’t say popular. You are incorrect again. How can you possibly be this wrong so damn often? The survey asks if the survey-taker is ‘confident that the President will do the right thing in world affairs’. That’s not a question of popularity – that’s a question of confidence to take the correct action. And Obama is way, way ahead of where Bush was. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654/20 "2014-06-01T04:21:21Z")
And I care because…? Lol, Obama sucks. I’m glad there are millions of sheep out there. I’m pretty sure the leaders of China, Russia, North Korea, Syria and the rest of them also prefer Obama to Bush. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-opinion-of-the-usa-under-obama-is-far-far-better-than-it-was-under-bush/689654.md?page=2)