12/01/08 Cowboy Diplomacy

The shift of power over the next few weeks from a Bush administration to an Obama nation is fostering a passel of opinions on what this change will mean not only for the United States but what affect that change will have in regards to how the rest of the world views the U.S.. Many are hoping that the change in the White House will also change the anti-Americanism that has grown increasingly across the globe. One such sentiment went as far as to say that the departure of Bush's cowboy diplomacy from the White House would mean an instant improvement for America's image. Whoa, back up the buggy just a gol darn minute! Let's not be slamming cowboys, or cowgirls for that matter. Bush's leadership tactics had more to do with politics, and sometimes just plain bad judgment than it did with anything even remotely close to cowboy diplomacy. America should remain proud of their cowboy heritage. As James P. Owen states in his book, "Cowboy Ethics", "Wall Street could learn a lot from the code of the West".