Thomas Friedman is once again finding his way back to the light after pulling himself up off the mat. Friedman was knocked silly after 9/11, almost punched himself out in the lead up to the Iraq War, was staggered by critics like Richard Florida who poked holes so big in his Flat World thesis that you could drive an 18-wheeler through them, but finally he's getting his legs back under him. In fact, his column in today's New York Times, "9/11 is Over," is quite good. Here's what he has to say about the impact of 9/11, America's global brand, and his ideal candidate for POTUS in 2008:

We need a president for 9/12. I will only vote for the 9/12 candidate.

What does that mean? This: 9/11 has made us stupid. I honor, and weep for, all those murdered on that day. But our reaction to 9/11 — mine included — has knocked America completely out of balance, and it is time to get things right again.

It is not that I thought we had new enemies that day and now I don’t. Yes, in the wake of 9/11, we need new precautions, new barriers. But we also need our old habits and sense of openness. For me, the candidate of 9/12 is the one who will not only understand who our enemies are, but who we are.

Before 9/11, the world thought America’s slogan was: “Where anything is possible for anybody.” But that is not our global brand anymore. Our government has been exporting fear, not hope: “Give me your tired, your poor and your fingerprints.”

You may think Guantánamo Bay is a prison camp in Cuba for Al Qaeda terrorists. A lot of the world thinks it’s a place we send visitors who don’t give the right answers at immigration. I will not vote for any candidate who is not committed to dismantling Guantánamo Bay and replacing it with a free field hospital for poor Cubans. Guantánamo Bay is the anti-Statue of Liberty.

In my opinion, Friedman's got it right on all counts. It's high time for a little re-branding of Product America. Think hope, not fear. 

(Tip o' the hat to our good friend and former colleague, Sunshine in the Sandbox, for highlighting the importance of Brand America. We salute you, Sunshine!)