Which America Is He Talking About?

Barak Obama is on a grand tour of the middle east and Europe right now. I've been impressed with his determination to meet with world leaders and hear what they have to say. It is good that he is building bridges even if he doesn't win the election, it will serve our country well.

The television news anchors have been interviewing him all week, sometimes asking tough questions. Obama has been poised, answered the questions politely and hasn't been tripped up. Imagine being in a different country every day, meeting with different people who speak a variety of languages, dealing with a different agenda at each stop. Top this all off with jet lag, it's a recipe for disaster.

I'm not making excuses, since he's done pretty well.

However, I was watching a news conference today with Obama and Sarkozy in Paris. I could tell it was Paris immediately by the background. The walls were gilded and the room was very french-looking, fancy and beautiful.

During the speech, Obama continually referred to the name of our country (The USA) as "America".

But, which America is he talking about? North America, Central America, or South America. It could have even been Latin America.

How egocentric can this sound to a European audience that is well-schooled in geography? Aren't we trying to avoid this kind of thinking as we decide who is going to lead our country for the next four or more years.

I'm sure that everyone in the crowd figured out that he meant the US, but let's be clear: to a crowd of foreigners, we are The United States of America, the US or simply "the states".

The world is ready for change. I believe that change starts when we stop thinking that we're the strongest country, the richest country, the smartest country, the only country. I sent an email to the Obama headquarters this afternoon and received an automatic response saying that the campaign gets too many emails to respond (I would guess that it won't be read either). But, I talked to them before I blogged, just to be fair.

I am still undecided about my vote for president. I'll keep watching and listening, as the entire country, The United States of America, is doing.