Sometimes the way foreigners don't "get" America and Americans really makes me chuckle. They try, especially when it comes to pop culture ( my half-French husband once saw a t-shirt in a Paris boutique with the famous picture of Marilyn Monroe's skirt blowing up silk screened on it. The t-shirt read in English: "The wind, what a terrible trick she is!" ).

And so when I saw this story the other day about how Iranians are "accusing" Bush of being some kind of cowboy, I was heartily amused. My first reaction was, "so what?" Don't Iranians (by the way, it just so happens that some of my best friends are Iranian.Really.) realize that calling someone a "cowboy" in the United States is hardly pejorative? In fact, it's a compliment? Cowboys are strong, brave, remarkably self-sufficient, free-thinking individuals. In short, cowboys are the kind of folks we Americans tend to like and thus, elect to office.

Those Iranian name-callers should read some of Mary O'Hara's books, like My Friend Flicka. Or maybe they could spend a week this summer on an American dude ranch learning to ride and herd cattle. In any event, they need to come up with something more effective with Americans to insult Bush, like maybe "that no-good Ted Bundy" or "that SOB Stalin." Calling him a cowboy really doesn't achieve the desired effect.