Pres. Bush #2's speech was targeted for those boarderline countries and groups that need high profile PR to get on board against terrorists. It was not intended to slight anyone.
If you wear your feelings on your shoulders and take offense at every little real or percieved slight, your life will be much less enjoyable.
As for what the US has done, The global community was ruined during WWII - in many cases like Japan, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania (the Axis Powers), it had to be.
The US GAVE and FORGAVE 100's of millions if not billiions of dollars to get the WORLD ECONOMY back on its feet. Is it any wonder that when we go to Paris (for instance) and are treated as dirt we resent it?
There is ONE AND ONLY ONE country that paid the US WWII debts off in full. This included training expenses incurred in the US for their troops that first fought the Japs out of Austrailia. The Netherlands was the only country to pay in full. In fact, the only country in the world to have land in the US that is not diplomatic oriented is Holland - it is a section of the military graveyard in Jackson, MS where exiled Dutchmen were burried when they lost their lives trying to learn how to fly. The gesture was done to allow Dutch servicemen to be burried in Dutch soil having made the ultimate sacrafice. Of all the cemitaries on Normandy and around the world where US service men were interred, no other government offered to allow us sovergnty over their graves.
Great Britian, Canada (then part of the British Empire), France, China, USSR, Italy, Germany, Japan, Egypt, Iran, etc had huge debts forgiven.
We kicked the snot out of Germany and Japan and rebuilt them to be our biggest and closest trading partners. Sanctions against Cuba, Vietnam, Iraq, North Korea, and Iran have not worked one bit. They have "defeated" the US in one form or another and they still present problems.
NO ONE IS PERFECT and the US did not always do the best or right things, BUT we were the only ones with the capability to rebuilt the world economy. 99% of the time is seems we get kicked in the teeth and insulted and ignored and treated as dirt for trying to do the best we can.
WWII, the British, Canadians, Free French, USSR, etc would at best fought the Axis to a draw. The US was the Allis offensive arm. Yes, Britian beat Rommel at El Almien. But he was not allowed the oportunity to counter due to the US invasion of Africa.
Again, we are stepping up to the plate to try to put terrorism under control since no one else can seem to get control of it. NO ONE IS PERFECT but we are doing it. Did Canada or Germany or China or ... end WORLD WIDE terrorism??? NO!!!
It always takes a kick in the butt to get the US off its duff to do something. The Spanish American War was the sinking of the warship Maine in Havana. WWI was the sinking of the SS Lusitania and unrestricted submarine warfare. Pearl Harbor was WWII.
Now, as for specifics on Wednesday's speech, I watched it though twice on CSPAN1 so that there would be no dumb commenting. I am 99% certain that Canada WAS singled out with Britian for thanks for helping take diverted airplanes.
Doug
