When Kofi Annan’s scared, I’m scared. (Apologies to the 1945 protest song, Old Man Atom “when Einstein’s scared, I’m scared.”)

Why be scared because Kofi is? Well, Kofi Annan came to his post of UN Secretary-General as an American retainer. The U.S. vetoed renewal of the Egyptian bureaucrat, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whom they deemed too radical. France backed another candidate but the U.S. insisted.

This week, just as George Bush was defending his war in Iraq at the UN, Annan, their guy, called it illegal. He wouldn’t do that unless he was very worried.

Or did you mean, why is he scared? First, because a week ago, after the Beslan slaughter, Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped the other shoe, the one the world has been listening for since George Bush announced his policy of preventive war, by which the U.S. may attack any country that might pose a threat to it. That opened the way to perpetual preventive war. Anyone could attack anyone just by claiming a possible future threat. Now the Russians have asserted that right and presumably are going to act on it. That’s why Kofi Annan brought up the illegality of a war that is over: It has become the template for an endless new set of potential conflicts.

The second reason for Kofi’s fear is the possible re-election of George Bush. The signs are that the U.S., undeterred by its Iraq disaster, might be ready to roll its troops into Syria and Iran, leading to further fury and terror attacks.

Kofi Annan is not alone. The whole world seems to have embraced John Kerry, whom they barely know, in desperation. Thirty of 35 nations polled prefer him. In Canada it was 61 per cent to 16 per cent. Only 20 per cent worldwide prefer George Bush. There is a puzzle here, since the Kerry position, as the Bush team notes, is almost the same as theirs.

He did finally manage to make an essential point this week: Its war in Iraq has made the U.S. more vulnerable to terror than it was. But having said that, he went on to offer the same way forward: Make allies, train Iraqis, reconstruction etc. To distinguish his position, he would have to say something distinctive, such as admitting U.S. policy is partly responsible for the widespread hate that aids recruitment by forces such as al-Qaeda. Or, acknowledging that one-sided U.S. support for Israel is a huge source of anger and conflict in the Mideast. Don’t hold your breath.

So why do many outside the U.S. prefer John Kerry anyway? It must be that they don’t really believe him, so they trust him. They believe George Bush so they distrust him. You know what you’re getting with me, says George. I do what I say. That’s why people outside the U.S. flee to John Kerry. Flip-flopping is underrated. Broadly speaking, it’s the sign of an adult mind.

This pattern drives Ralph Nader crazy. They’re both saying the same thing! he keeps shrieking. People who once supported Ralph know it’s true, but many back the Kerry side. You’re right Ralph, they imply, the Kerry people are superficial, corrupt and dangerous too, but they’re not as crazed and ideological; we can live with that, the way we did with Clinton. Have some perspective Ralph, the world is going to hell!

The odd thing about the Bush ideologues is they do not share their dogmas. There are Christian fundamentalists, such as the President and Karl Rove. There are pro-Israel neocons, such as Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz. There are economically driven power zealots, such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. It’s not the Kremlin or the Third Reich; it’s more like a rummage sale. But it’s still ideology, driving obliviously on through reality and its own consequences.

Take George Bush’s statement that “freedom is not America’s gift to the world; it is the almighty God’s gift to every man and woman.” You can imagine John Kerry saying it but it would be rhetoric, he wouldn’t use it as a road map. I think that’s why the world prefers him, they smell the ideological absence. Or the way each man ends his speeches with “God bless America.” For one, it is a cliché (thank God). For the other, it is a policy premise.

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Rick Salutin

Rick Salutin is a Canadian novelist, playwright and critic. He is a strong advocate of left wing causes and writes a regular column in the Toronto Star.