When Kenneth Starr produced his pornographic report into the Lewinsky affair, some Americans felt sorry for Bill Clinton and others did not. But nobody felt embarrassed about a process in which the Presidency was turned into a long-running TV series pitched halfway between the O.J. Simpson trial and Deep Throat. This was an example, they said, of the transparency of the American system. But now, there are no excuses. And yet, while I am enjoying the unusual spectacle of The Embarrassed American as, I imagine, is every non-American everywhere in the world I can t help feeling a little sorry for Americans.
All systems have their quirks.
In Italy, they have lurched from one unstable coalition to another. In India, the absence of an electoral college means that the voters of UP have a disproportionate say in choosing our leaders. But only Americans get the international embarrassment. And it is easy to see why. As Ignatius notes, America dominates the media.