Unpatriotic vs Anti-American

The tendency for the Bush administration to paint opposition to its policies as unpatriotic is well documented. Now, according to Reuters,

Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told foreign journalists last week that what was particularly disappointing to the U.S. side was that "there were times that it appeared that American power was seen to be more dangerous than, perhaps, Saddam Hussein."

I suppose there is a certain rhetorical economy in using the same tack with erstwhile allies in Europe as with domestic opponents. And, to be fair, French president Jacques Chirac is explicitly trying to counter American power . Still, there is a level of absurdity in comparing the power of the US with that of the former dictator of Iraq. Of course, intentions in using power are crucial to assessing the threat it poses. However, as it turns out, it was American power, not Iraqi that was unleashed in the recent war. How are European observers to assess the threat of American power now?