Lies, damned lies and statistics, but in this particular case, I’d say the numbers are accurate. From the Swamp @ the Chicago Tribune:
North Korea, that secretive Communist state headed by dictator Kim Jong Il, has improved its standing with the American people. But only slightly, just enough to take it out of last place in a ranking of how Americans feel about countries around the world. Last place now belongs to Iran.
This information comes courtesy of the Quinnipiac University Global Thermometer Pool, which “measures the warmth of voters’ feelings toward a list of foreign nations,” on a scale of 0-100. The last such ranking took place Nov. 30.
There are other interesting findings. We are beginning to sour a bit on Russia as the result of Vladimir Putin’s undemocratic tendencies and his tougher stance with the United States.
And we like Mexico a little better, perhaps because, as the university speculates, illegal immigration has been less of a controversial issue in recent months. Out of sight, out of mind, so to speak.
And we still love the British, the Canadians, and the Israelis most of all.
North Korea improved its level of warmth with Americans by virtue of a nuclear agreement (which has yet to be finalized) reached recently, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the university’s Polling Institute.
“It would be reasonable to conclude this is a result of Iran’s continuing refusal to halt its nuclear program and the tentative deal with North Korea to do so,” he added.
Still, Americans still view Iran and North Korea as their least friendly nations, meaning that their designations by President Bush as part of the Axis of Evil remains intact.
The nations and the mean score of the warmth of American voters’ attitudes, and in parenthesis the mean score from November 30:
The nations and the mean score of the warmth of American voters’ attitudes, and in parentheses the mean score from November 30 are:
1. England - 77.9 (78.9)
2. Canada - 75.4 (73.4)
3. Israel - 66.5 (68.2)
4. Germany - 59.9 (58.1)
5. India - 56.1 (56.6)
6. Mexico - 56.1 (51.4)
7. United Nations - 49.9 (50.4)
8. France - 47.7 (44.6)
9. China - 43.3 (44.2)
10. Russia - 43.1 (46.2)
11. Saudi Arabia - 40.1 (40.4)
12. Venezuela - 30.3 (30.9)
13. Iraq - 27.1 (25.9)
14. Palestinian Gov’t - 24.3 (23.8)
15. Syria - 23.8 (24.3)
16. Cuba - 21.8 (24.1)
17. North Korea - 15.7 (13.5)
18. Iran - 13.5 (15.5)From February 13 - 19 Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,536 American voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.
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As far as I’m concerned, North Korea and all of cesspoolia (i.e. the ummah) are tied for last place-if we woke up tomorrow and all that crap would be gone the world would be a much better place. I’m not too keen on China, but at least they can be dealt with to a point. I’d like Russia a lot more if they wouldn’t be such a pain in the neck-same with France. Ethiopia gets the gold medal as far as I’m concerned-they demolished the Islamic utopia in Somalia with virtually no resources-you have to like them for that!