No matter what, the foreign press won't like the president

Sean of The White Peril is an American living in Japan. He sent in his absentee ballot some time ago, and he’s watching the election here with trepidation. Recently he gave his opinion as an American expat on whether it matters to the foreign press that Kerry win over Bush:

I think the foreign media will use a victory for either side to do exactly what they’ve been doing for all of recent memory: pissing on American policy and business interests while making moist-eyed proclamations of love for the American people…

So the answer to “Does it make the world love us?” when the “it” refers to anything but letting ourselves be annexed by Canada, is no. The foreign press would warm to Kerry more than it has to Bush; it would like his wife, who with her high-strung multilingual social-democratic persona is similar to most foreign women journalists. If [Kerry] continued the WOT essentially the way Bush has promised to, he would probably get a little more sympathy for the first few months, because he could spin it as cleaning up his predecessor’s mess… But we’d be back where we started in no time: America has arrogantly designated itself the world’s police force! And why isn’t it doing more to help other countries? And so on…

No matter how the people and the electoral college vote, America will be depicted as full of well-meaning but self-centered folks who don’t understand the realities of the world…

Read the whole thing.

British Acupuncturist Pins Hopes on Kerry, Needles Bush

From the AFP via The Australian :

A British acupuncturist in Tokyo has promised to treat everyone who walks into his clinic for free the day after Tuesday’s US election if George W. Bush loses - even the would-be ex-president himself.

Edward Obaidey, who treats about 20 people a day, said he stood to lose about 120,000 yen ($1513) if Senator John Kerry wins.

“Maybe I’ve lost a few patients over this. But if Bush came in, I’d treat him as well. He probably needs a good going-over,” Mr Obaidey said.

Mr Obaidey said he decided to make his offer after hearing widespread anger about Mr Bush from his patients, even ones who tend to be apolitical.

“Normally I don’t mind what goes in America but with this guy in, things have got so bad, not only for Americans but people all over the world,” he said.

Mr Obaidey, who has worked in Tokyo for nearly 20 years, said he would consider making a similar offer when Britain holds its next general election.

“If (Prime Minister Tony) Blair is out, maybe I’ll do another campaign for that.”