How many people remember US Senator John Kerry’s “global test” remark? During his unsuccessful bid for the presidency, Kerry said that US troops must be used only if “that passes the global test…and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.” To be sure, the comment was one of many that Kerry made that showed just how out of step he was with American voters—and he paid the price at the polls. But more importantly, it was a comment that was not his alone but stemmed from one of the basic articles of liberal faith: that under President George W. Bush, the United States has lost its standing and moral authority in the world. It is an article of faith that 2008 presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama return to again and again.
