This whole “global test” thing has gotten out of hand. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said the following to Wolf Blitzer:

“I don’t understand ‘proving to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons,’ “

Now, it might just be me, but I think that little quote almost spells out the exact problem this administration has. It looks to me like talking points are becoming more important than common sense. Any dolt can understand that if the President of the United States of America is going to send American soldiers into harms way for preemptive action, it damn well better be for a reason that makes sense to someone outside of this country. Approach them with facts and data that backs up the grounds for the action and they should say “Yes, preemptive attack would be an option if all other avenues fail”. With or without the caveat, that sounds like a global test to me.

Condi was showing signs of going nuts back when she refered to the “bin Laden determined to strike in US” as based on “historical data“.

To be fair, Kerry doesn’t fully answer the question asked in the original article about what the “global test” really means. But, remember that the debates were supposed to be free response, thinking on your feet events. And we all know who looked better at doing that.