On Wednesday, Rice and the public relations chief for the Bush administration, Karen Hughes, held a “Private Sector Summit on Public Diplomacy.” Sponsored by the State Department and the Public Relations Coalition, the summit was held with 150 top public relations professionals and State Department officials “to identify clear action steps the private sector can take to support U.S. public diplomacy.” In other words, the U.S. is asking for help from PR pros in creating a shiny, happy new image for itself. America is currently in the doghouse, globally, due in large part to post-Sept. 11 actions like the invasion of Iraq. Put simply, the United States isn’t part of the popular crowd these days. … Edelman said that the United States’ sagging image abroad is actually hurting iconic American brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, a change that was first noticed a few years ago. So this country is doing the right thing by looking at how it can improve its standing across the globe.

We certainly wouldn’t want McDonald’s to suffer because some stupid foreigners are upset about those fucking hundreds of thousands of Iraqis we murdered.