Just because a husband and wife fight, it does not mean they should divorce.

Not necessarily, but if the husband starts saying things like "Western Europe, you're such an old bitch! The hot new chick down the block, Eastern Europe, she knows how to treat a man right!", at the very least a couple of therapy sessions might be in order. Or a slap in the face.

Anyway, I would expect a certain honeymoon period for the next president, but whether he or she can restore American credibility to pre-Bush levels remains to be seen. One would think the lesson learned from the past eight years is that placing so much power into the hands of so few people is a recipe for disaster. It's not so much about the best person to occupy that office, as it is about the worst person to occupy it. What are we all gonna do when Jeb Bush defeats a Carterised Obama four years from now?

As for McCain and Europe...he has all but promised that "there will be more wars", a point of view that's not like to go over well with...well, anyone. He may be against torture, but it seems he's essentially in agreement with the central tenets of the Bush doctrine.  If he's the president, I wouldn't want "reconciliation".

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde