It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Democrats’ nomination of Obama as their candidate for president has done more to improve America’s image abroad — an image dented by the Iraq war, President Bush’s invocation of a post-9/11 “crusade,” Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay and the xenophobic opposition to Dubai Ports World managing U.S. harbors — than the entire Bush public diplomacy effort for seven years. ~Thomas Friedman

No exaggeration is needed.  Very little is better than nothing.  In other words, instead of doing absolutely nothing to improve America’s image and much to damage it, Obama’s nomination has had a modestly positive effect for the time being. 

You have to enjoy how Friedman threw in the (bipartisan) opposition to the Dubai ports deal, as if the average Egyptian could be bothered with whether some company from the UAE was permitted to oversee various American ports.  If it does bother some of them, perhaps we could put it to the Egyptians this way–do you want the British running the Canal again?  Of course they don’t, and if it counts as “xenophobic” to insist on being able to secure your ports and waterways then almost every nation on earth is going to be found guilty.