14 September 2012
American Exceptionalism
At a campaign stop in Golden, Colorado, yesterday (THU 13 SEP), President Obama made as clear of a statement of what I think "American Exceptionalism" ought to mean as I've ever heard.
Almost all the attention that the speech has gotten came from the President's direct statements about responding to being attacked, but, if you ask me, the real meat was in the two paragraphs above.
And his opponents will have the brass to suggest that he's neither strong nor believes in America, all while their policies gut our strengths along multiple dimensions.
This thinking flows from Lincoln's elevation after 80-plus years of the Declaration of Independence to part of the American Canon on a par with the Constitution.This is a tumultuous time that we’re in. But we can, and we will, meet those challenges if we stay true to who we are, and if we would remind ourselves that we’re different from other nations. We’re different not only because of the incredible landscape that God has given us; we’re different because we’re a nation that’s bound together by a creed. We’re not made up of a single tribe or a single religion or a single race. We’re a collection of people from all around the world who came here because of a certain set of principles — the idea that all men and women are created equal; that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. That’s what binds us together. That’s what our flag means.But we also believe that these are not just American rights. We believe these are universal aspirations, and they’re held by people who live in tiny villages in Libya, prosperous cities in Europe. That’s our light to the world. And our task, as the most powerful nation on Earth, is to defend and protect and advance our people, but also to defend and protect and advance those values at home and around the world. That’s what our troops do. That’s what our diplomats do. That’s what our intelligence officers do. That’s what our citizens do. That’s what we believe. Those are the values that we hold to.
Almost all the attention that the speech has gotten came from the President's direct statements about responding to being attacked, but, if you ask me, the real meat was in the two paragraphs above.
And his opponents will have the brass to suggest that he's neither strong nor believes in America, all while their policies gut our strengths along multiple dimensions.
