Various lefties (and a few righties) have mocked me for suggesting that ultimately last night’s bill presages American retreat from the wider world. Maybe it sounds better coming from Europe. Der Spiegel aren’t right-wing and, indeed, support the Democrats’ health-care reforms. But they recognize that it comes at a price for the rest of the planet:

US Health Care — Good for America, Bad for the World?
The Afghanistan mission: of marginal interest. Protecting the environment: postponed. Peace in the Middle East: off in the distance. Sanctions against Iran: delayed. Europe: not even worth a trip.
The one remaining global superpower has succumbed to navel gazing. The nature of Obama’s hard-fought victory means little will change in the near future. On the contrary: Now he must explain to the country and to his own party why the entire health care journey, as all-encompassing as it turned out to be, was worth it in the end. He will have little time for anything else.
Such a realization should not spoil the celebration over health care for the Americans themselves. But the rest of the world won’t be joining the party quite so enthusiastically.

The Europeans always wanted a U.S. president who was more like them. Now they’ve got one — and, as they’re beginning to understand, there are consequences.

On a cheerier note, today is the 245th anniversary of the passage of the Stamp Act. Just a thought.