CNN

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

When the bomber of Pan Am flight 103 was released - Libya and its leader Moammar Gadhafi threw a huge celebration to welcome home this mass murderer. After the civilized world expressed collective outrage at Scottish authorities for releasing this mutant - there was Gadhafi, putting on a display of affection for someone who isn't fit to eat with your dog.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi delivered an address to the UN General Assembly earlier today.

Then Gadhafi had the stones to waltz into New York and share his warped views of the world with the rest of us in a ranting, raving, nonsensical diatribe on floor of U.N. General Assembly.

Turns out since no one would rent a hotel room to this creep - he's spent weeks trying to find a place to pitch his trademark tent - most recently settling on the town of Bedford, New York.

The problem was the land he was using is owned by Donald Trump. Trump explained he'd leased the property to some Middle Eastern associates who in turn allowed Gadhafi to camp out on the lawn.

When the Bedford authorities found out, Gadhafi was told to roll up his sleeping bag and hit the road.

All of which is to wonder what purpose is served by allowing these kinds of people to come here every year for the U.N. meetings.

In addition to creating traffic and security nightmares - a guy like Gadhafi manages to send everybody's temperature up a couple of degrees. And, quite frankly, in New York City we don't need his help.

Here’s my question to you: Should the rules be changed to keep people like Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi out of the U.S.?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Ask the president and he'll tell you it's the news media's fault that the country has descended into a screeching, yelling, nasty batch of rudeness and lack of manners.

President Obama appeared on five Sunday morning talk shows - which is a lot even by this visible president's standards. The idea was for Mr. Obama to continue selling his health care plan to the American people, which by the way, some Republicans now say is dead.

But during several of these interviews - although President Obama insisted he wasn't doing media-bashing - he seemed to do media bashing.

Right here on CNN, the president called out the three cable news networks, and said the easiest way to get on any of them is to "say something rude and outrageous." He said if people are polite and sensible and don't exaggerate about their opponent, it's harder to get noticed by the press.

President Obama said that instead he'd like to see "all of us reward decency and civility in our political discourse."

The president went on to say news organizations can't get enough of the conflict, calling it "catnip to the media." He says in the 24-hour-news cycle, the extreme elements on both sides get the most attention. And he's right.

Just last week in the Cafferty File, we reported on celebrities from Kanye West to Serena Williams to Congressman Joe Wilson behaving badly; and about what their uncivilized behavior says about the rest of society.

Here’s my question to you: Are the news media responsible for the recent outbreak of rude behavior across America?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev walk by the Czar Cannon in the territory of the Kremlin. (PHOTO CREDIT: DMITRY ASTAKHOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

President Obama is in Moscow for meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in an effort to smooth things over between the two countries. It's the latest example of President Obama trying to extinguish the flames of something former president George W. Bush left burning.

In a press conference today, President Obama said a strong Russia is good for the U.S. and spoke of a deep rooted respect Americans have for the Russian people.

Depends on who you ask. According to a Gallup Poll, Americans don't feel much like cozying up to Russia. 53-percent of Americans view Russia unfavorably, the highest it's been in nine years.

Russians aren't in love with Americans either - at least not with our leaders. 34-percent of Russians disapprove of U.S. leadership, which is lower than it's been in previous years. But it's worth noting that many Russians said they are still undecided about their opinion of U.S. leadership under President Obama.

And it's actually better than it was 10-years ago during the unrest in 1999 before Boris Yeltsin conceded power to Putin. Then Russians' opinion of American leadership was at an all time low.

Here’s my question to you: How important are better relations between the U.S. and Russia?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

During his first visit to a Muslim nation as president, Barack Obama declared that the U.S. "is not and will never be at war with Islam."
The president addressed the Turkish Parliament and called for a greater partnership with the Islamic world.

President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tour the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

He also focused on building a stronger bond between Americans and Muslims; and portraying terrorist groups like al Qaeda as extremists who don't represent the majority of Muslims. President Obama talked about listening to each other, respecting each other, and showing our "deep appreciation for the Islamic faith."

No doubt Mr. Obama has his work cut out for him when it comes to mending fences with the Muslim world. Many Muslims grew to disrespect if not downright hate the U.S. after President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq. Many also felt the entire Muslim world had been unfairly blamed by the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks - which were carried out by Muslims.

And - President Obama may also have a lot of convincing to do here at home. A new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 51 percent of Americans say the U.S. should trust Muslim allies, like Turkey, the same as any other ally, but 48 percent say the U.S. should trust Muslim allies less.

Mr. Obama called Turkey a "critical ally," and strategically that's true. But when it comes to the issue of trusting Muslim allies, almost half of Americans remain wary.

Here’s my question to you: Should the U.S. trust Muslim allies less than other allies?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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People in Baghdad burn an American flag in protest against a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The power and influence the United States has in the world will decline in the next two decades and struggles for the world's natural resources will intensify, according to a new government report.

The National Intelligence Council's "Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World" says the world is in the middle of an historic transfer of wealth from West to East. That's been brought on by increases in oil and commodity prices as well as a shift of manufacturing and certain other industries to Asia.

The U.S. will likely remain the single most powerful nation in the world, but its economic and military strength will decrease considerably. It will continue to play a leading role in the war against global terrorism.

Nations like Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey will likely gain power, and their need for natural resources will increase.

But China is expected to be our biggest rival by 2025. The report predicts it will have the world's second largest economy by then and will be a leading military power.

Here’s my question to you: How worried are you about the next 20 years?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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Pakistani protesters burn U. S. flags in Quetta, Pakistan. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Here's how you can tell we're coming to the end of President Bush's second term. America's image abroad - which has taken a serious pounding over the past 7 years - is starting to rebound… at least a little.

A new poll conducted for the BBC surveyed more than 17,000 people in 34 countries. The number of people who say the U.S. has a positive influence is now at 35%, compared to 31% a year ago. Those who say the U.S. has a negative influence is at 47% today, and that's down from 52% last year.

Also, positive views of the U.S. – in the 17 countries polled every year since 2005 – is actually up for the first time in four years. Nonetheless, the poll shows that views of U.S. influence in the world are still mainly negative, even though they've improved in half of the countries that were polled last year.

A State Department official acknowledges that views of the U.S. have been negative in recent years, but said 2003 and 2004 were a quote "anomaly." That's when we invaded Iraq using phony intelligence. He called public opinion a "lagging indicator of what we are doing."

The next president will have an opportunity to build on these numbers and help restore this country's image to what it used to be, when we were well-liked and respected by many more people around the globe than we are today.

Here’s my question to you: A new poll suggests America’s image is improving in many countries overseas. Why?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 6pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

Iranian demonstrators burn a US flag during a rally to mark the 27th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Tehran, Iran. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The next president – be it John McCain, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama – better bring a big shovel, cause it's going to take awhile to muck out the Bush barn. A top concern of many Americans is what's happened to our image abroad.

Americans are very unhappy about where we stand. Since February 2001 – right after President Bush took office – the public's dissatisfaction with our position in the world has more than doubled according to a new Gallup poll.

In February of 2002, the dissatisfaction level was 27%. That's not very long after the 9/11 attacks. That number rose to 50% in the lead-up to the Iraq war. It dipped down to 29% right at the beginning of the war in 2003. But it didn't stay down for long because when the American public found out the invasion of Iraq was based on a batch of lies, the rest of the world found out, too. Today Americans' dissatisfaction level stands at 68%. That's the highest level Gallup has ever recorded on this question, including during the Vietnam war.

There's more bad news. In February of 2001, the number of Americans who thought our country was viewed favorably by the rest of the world stood at 75%. Today that number has fallen to fewer than half of us, just 43%.

So when it comes down to it, one of these three candidates is going to have a lot of fence mending to do.

Here’s my question to you: Which candidate would do the best job restoring America’s position in the world?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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