Last night I watched Dave Letterman and was reminded how 'anti-Bush administration' he's become. Immediately after the 911 attacks he was so pro-administration that he subscribed to the notion it could do no wrong. Anyway, he made a joke about why the world hates us and linked it to our innovative technology.

The fact is, the world doesn't hate us. What they object to is government policies descended from the 'my way or the highway Cowboy Diplomacy' Reagan years, only without the diplomacy.

In my travels I've experienced much kindness and good will interacting with people on a one-to-one basis. Sure, there have been moments it wasn't "“ like the afternoon I was walking the streets in Marseille at the height of the second Iraq war, or the screaming teenagers in the suburbs outside Paris.

I'd like to think our government is now changing, just like Dave, and moving away from these polices that separate our global community. It's been just two weeks and time will tell us the answer.

For more of Steve and Christine’s blogs and writing, click here