A European Perspective on American Politics

John Bruton, the EU Ambassador to the United States, has an uncommon combination of outsider’s and insider’s insight into how the U.S. government works.   He talked to Big Think about how being a European in America has given him a unique perspective on the quirks of American politicians, including certain big city mayors.  Bruton also took his interview as an occasion to argue that America’s health care debate is no excuse for Obama to delay action on the most important international issue of our time:  climate change. 

Bruton’s years of experience in politics have taught him that doing multiple things at once isn’t only doable, it is what politicians exist to do.  We also talked to Bruton about his home state of Ireland; he explained both the cultural effects of the Celtic Tiger economy and how much different an Irish conservative is than an American one.