One of those thousand little cuts that kill our country

Bob Harris, subbing in at This Modern World, provides a tiny example of how our great nation has suffered in the hands of Bush. In the context of the colossal loss of power and prestige Bush has brought to us, it is nothing. But it still makes me sad for what we could be now, and it makes me determined to get us back on the right path.

The International Cricket Council has opted not to play matches in the United States, because the "disturbing possibility that a high-profile Muslim player could be stranded at an American airport, trying to explain to bemused immigration officials that he had a vital cricket World Cup match to play in Florida, was a damaging scenario that the ICC and the West Indies World Cup organising committee dared not take."

So, a few cricket matches won't take place on our shores, and a few citizens won't get exposed to a sport that unites much of the rest of the world, and our splendid isolation will claim a few more victims.

It's no big deal. It's just one of the countless millions of opportunities to grow that our country will miss because of Bush.