One of the themes of this conference was information operations, or "IO" -- how the U.S. can influence others around the world. This officer and other conference-goers were disgusted, by how badly the U.S. had bungled this war of ideas, and allowed opinions about America to sink so low. Candidate Obama, the group concluded, was the best IO campaign America had had in years. Allies were more ready to listen. Enemies' narratives about America were being undercut.

So what happens to our standing in the world, now that the candidate is President-elect? Obviously, negative views about America aren't going to change overnight - if they change at all. For instance, some of the instant reactions from the electronic version of the Arab "street" seem decidedly undecided about a president with the middle name Hussein. But judging from the giddy reactions from Kabul to Caracas, America's most powerful IO campaign gets even stronger, when Barack Obama moves from the campaign trail to the White House.