While many in the world cheered them on, it was with some relief that this columnist found he was not alone in feeling a deep sense of revulsion for these men.

All six at the lunch table, from different generations, shared the view that as human beings, we felt a certain amount of shame that these seriously flawed men could ultimately determine the destiny of our lovely planet.

The sad truth of it is that United States' interventions in so many situations, wars and countries have invariably ended in tears - not so much for the US, but more so for the sovereign nations which were on the receiving end of American interference.

This navel-gazing reflection was accentuated by my current reading of Barbara Kingsolver's 1998 novel ‘The Poisonwood Bible', which...