Originally posted by War Angel
Anyone in a democratic nation would be offended, if you diss their leaders. A democratic ruler is chosen by the people, for the people. They support him - without such support, he'll go down. Therefore, when you criticise the leader, you criticise the people, questionong their integrity, intelligence and understanding. Wouldn't you be angered at that?
So, if someone in the US votes against Bush, then he or she is "anti-American" for opposing their elected leader? I don't see that it should be 'offensive' to an entire nation to criticise someone else's political leader. Slobodan Milsoevic is being tried for war crimes, that doesn't make the Yugoslavian people guilty by association. Politicians are people with independent will and minds, not a pure and unsullied manifestation of the wishes of the nation. I'm very fond of America, its achievements, some of its cultural and artistic accomplishments; this is not changed by the assertion that George Bush has commited breaches of international law and whatnot.
Gone are the old monarchist days when rulers were the 'embodiment' of their country.