Nobody has ever accused Thomas Friedman of being short of chutzpah.

The three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Times columnist and author has taken on the woes of the Middle East, the world, and now, its shrinking superpower in a book lengthily titled, That Used to be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World it Invented and How We Can Come Back Again.

In Toronto this week at a time of growing turbulence south of the border, Friedman talked about the national angst that prompted him and his co-author, foreign policy expert Michael Mandelbaum, to write it, and where he thinks our troubled but still titanic neighbour is headed.

Q: Americans seem angrier than ever before — but also more fragmented and confused. Can protest movements like Occupy Wall Street bring real change?

A: Protest comes in many forms. Wall Street is a sign of what’s going on in America. Anyone who takes a sleeping bag and sleeps in a square outside Wall Street deserves a hearing. But I think it’s only part of what is happening. Change comes from a lot of people who are voting “none of the above.”

Q: Isn’t there a danger that will get none of the desired results?

A: There is a missing piece. Everyone wants to know, “Who is this person I can vote for?” One of the reasons we don’t know is the system is so gamed, and it’s so difficult for that person to emerge. But if you pay attention to the Americans Elect website, you see a huge protest in progress. These are people starting a third party.

The hardest thing for an independent candidate in America to do is get on the ballot in all 50 states. They’re going through the process of getting on the ballot. And they’re going to run an Internet election.

Q: The history of independent candidates in the U.S. isn’t stellar, and they can end up as spoilers. Are you saying someone will come out of the woodwork and take over the White House?

A: I’m saying that people aren’t just dissatisfied — they’re angry. People are in a radical mood. I predict that between now and November, something is going to happen. This is not going to be your normal election, because the “radical centre” is feeling deeply disenfranchised. It’s not going to sit back and take it any more, because the system itself is in peril.

Q: So where does that leave President Barack Obama?

A: I wish that (new) person was Obama. But I’m angry when I look at him and what I see is the paucity of audacity. He called his book the Audacity of Hope. But I’m struck by how audacious he can be see in the “war on terrorism,” killing Osama bin Laden and (Al Qaeda cleric Anwar al) Awlaki. But at home he tailors every political position he takes as if he can’t tiptoe over one line. The contrast is really striking. Right now, I think, he’s not himself. And I would like to see him succeed for the country’s sake.

Q: A lot of American anger comes from the recession, and a feeling of being at the mercy of out-of-control forces. Is there any way of pulling the country out of this pit?

A: When I look at the world today, I see system-threatening challenges. Not just the recession but the system itself is very possibly in peril. Against that I see a bunch of politicians talking about HBc (flu) vaccines and outbidding each other to see who’s the farthest-to-the-right lunatic. In normal times that might be fine. But these are not normal times.

We became a rich country because we found a balance between a government that provides education, infrastructure, immigration rules, regulations and government-funded research on one hand, and unleashes the private (sector) on the other. Understanding how the two sides work together in a public-private partnership gives us the energy and nurtures what we have. Right now all five are heading in the wrong direction. They all need to be re-energized and reinvested in.

Q: But that takes long-term strategies for the good of the nation, not the take-no-prisoners, all-against-all power struggle that we have now.

A: True. We know the way out of the problem but it’s not happening. We need some more short-term stimulus to prevent a double-dip recession. Then we need long-term fiscal reform, cutting spending on entitlements and defence, raising revenue through tax reform so it’s increasing net revenue, and ultimately investments in infrastructure and the sources of our strength. There’s no secret about it. If we got that right we’d be heading out of the pit right now.

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Q: With the ongoing economic mess and the coming election, should Canadians be worried about the year ahead?

A: America is the tent pole of the world. If that buckles, your kids won’t just grow up in a different America or a different Canada — they’ll grow up in a different world.