It does not have to be this way if informed voters within their states speak with the power of their vote.

FORBES: Obamacare: The Latest Man-Made Disaster Foisted On The U.S. Economy

Most Chinese with any spending power to speak of already have mobiles and use them shamelessly, as anyone who has sat in a cinema in China can attest.

ECONOMIST: Mobile phones in China

Filipino officers speak English, know and admire America, once the colonial power, and can bond with their comrades over beer and karaoke.

ECONOMIST: Drawing lessons from a rare success

As CNN's Candy Crowley pointed out Monday in an analysis: If Walker sidesteps a recall, it would speak to conservative's grassroots power, the waning power of unions -- which typically ally with Democrats -- and could further Romney's efforts in the state.

CNN: What's at stake in Wisconsin?

At the same time, and I guess, you know, in support of the was he pushed a little bit argument, there is also - there's been a perception certainly among senators and congressmen who you speak to on Capitol Hill that Negroponte never quite managed to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in Washington power circles.

NPR: Intelligence Chief Expected to Move to State Dept.