Maybe it's because we were turned in on our own local Troubles for so long. Maybe it's because we like to think of ourselves as somehow more virtuous than people in other parts of the world.

But somehow or other we have let our opinions on world affairs be shaped by fringe elements in Britain, America and among ourselves.

They're the sort who say: "Yes there are a lot of good Americans, who agree that their government is fascist — Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon, that nice family we met in Florida. But Americans are uncouth, fat, ignorant, red-necks. And America is an empire ravaging poor nations around the world."

That's the garbage that fuels so much of the 'anti-Bush sentiment' prevailing among the minority who can find time from work to protest at his visit — including some noted civil service unions.

I'm not going to list things like the fact that the United States is the largest single contributor to world aid or that it's the first country — indeed probably the only one — that can muster and sustain the massive rescue and reconstruction projects in disaster areas like Burma and even China.

Let alone the fact that they actually have the will to help in the first place, which most other countries don't.

No. What I am saying is that we shouldn't tolerate the perception that we are not pleased to see the President of the United States in our country.

Yes, we are.

The vast majority — and I do mean vast — is delighted at the ringing endorsement Bush's visit brings to the efforts of this small corner to build for itself a reputation other than as a hidey hole for murder, kneecapping and extortion.

The wittering of lefties is always with us, selecting the atrocities they will protest about with their usual hypocrisy. (Some weeks ago Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe, visited Belfast for an international conference. Needless to say, our local lefties, still in love with the monster Mugabe, couldn't quite bring themselves to turn out in their customary thousands to show the suffering democrats of Zimbabwe that their Ulster comrades were four square behind them.)

The rest of us can't afford to allow our welcome of world leaders to be tainted by those who harbour supporters like Corrs' guitarist, Jim Guitar, who cited "rogue elements" — elements are always rogue — in the "Bush neo-con administration" for staging the 9/11 attacks.

Take that with hatred of Bush's Christianity and his and America's membership of the Grand Zionist Conspiracy of World Banking (you know who we mean) and you get the kind of caricature of a person and a nation which fits neatly onto a demonic placard in Tehran or Islamabad.

We're not having that in Belfast. Not any more.

The last president of the United States, whom so many lefties took to their hearts, sanctioned military attacks all over the world in response to terror.

But the lefties don't talk about that because they think he's one of theirs.

Now they think there is one of theirs coming into the White House so they can afford to sneer at the current incumbent.

But as I've said before, the big problem with any President of the United States in these people's eyes is a simple one. Black or white, male or female, Ivy League or homeboy, they're Americans.

And we want their money.