The United States is now the most hated nation in the world. Hated and mistrusted more than Cuba, China and Saudi Arabia: countries with atrocious human rights records and little regard for the will of the people.

U.S. citizens, at home and abroad, live in a climate of fear that I dare say has only intensified as a result of the war in Iraq and our president’s doctrine of preemptive warfare.

The outpouring of goodwill and sympathy that emanated for all corners of the globe after the tragedy of Sept. 11 has been squandered.

Under the guidance of this administration the United States increasingly views itself as a hammer, and we all know that when that happens all recalcitrant countries begin to look more and more like nails.

As for “Ranger Bush,” when the opportunity to fight in Vietnam presented itself he joined the National Guard and, sadly, did not even complete his service.

Bush is no hero, and unlike the movies of the ’50s, the complex events of world affairs and the intricacies of international diplomacy do not require a bloodshot cowboy to save the day. What is needed is an intelligent, creative and compassionate leader whose first instinct is not war and revenge.

Under the Bush administration this country has known only war, recession, fear and intimidation, loss of personal privacy and civil rights, and a diminished stature in the world.

If this is the “new world” that awaits us, then the conservative ranks will surely swell!

Matthew David Deschaine, Auburn