Perhaps the world's media needs to get more information out from correspondents brave and willing enough to go into Dumbfuckistan?

From this side of the pond, it seems worrying too. Not in terms of wanting to interfere in how you run your country, you understand. You are far better than us in recent years at telling others how it should be. We are just good at giving you the respectability to go ahead and do it.

No, the tea party is a concern here too. If you look at the recent rioting, the right wing element of the conservative party are coming from under their rocks and saying the fault is gay couples being allowed to adopt, political correctness including humouring Islamic fundamentalists, not enough emphasis on Jesus, (and reminding us, sadly, that we are one of the few countries with a state religion, even if less than 1% are practicing Christians...)

The tea party is starting to take effect here too. T'was ever thus, although it was always the blue rinse brigade indulging in casual racism with the vicar at the local garden party.

People with faith ask me why I don't use scripture as a moral code. (Ok, just one, and he smiles too much.) I answer that scriptures are so obtuse, they can form the moral code for Desmond Tutu. But they also formed the moral code for the crusaders, Spanish inquisition and buggering priests.

The 20th country belonged to USA, in the same way as 18th and 19th century belonged to us. (The sun never sets on the British Empire and all that.) But your fundamentalist tea party dudes should beware. USA is losing its international status, as China and India become the baseline economies, so other countries may feel less inclined to bow before the dollar, and if your politicians lose credibility, sadly so will the millions of real nice people, a few dozen or so I am proud to call personal friends.