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Obama celebrates America's greatness on the world stage

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 18:15 — Dr. Zaius

I have some problems with Obama's Afghanistan speech tonight, but I think it's important to begin by excerpting a laudable passage that (gasp!) George Bush could have delivered — and often did.

Since the days of Franklin Roosevelt, and the service and sacrifice of our grandparents, our country has borne a special burden in global affairs. We have spilled American blood in many countries on multiple continents. We have spent our revenue to help others rebuild from rubble and develop their own economies. We have joined with others to develop an architecture of institutions — from the United Nations to NATO to the World Bank — that provide for the common security and prosperity of human beings.

We have not always been thanked for these efforts, and we have at times made mistakes. But more than any other nation, the United States of America has underwritten global security for over six decades — a time that, for all its problems, has seen walls come down, markets open, billions lifted from poverty, unparalleled scientific progress, and advancing frontiers of human liberty.

For unlike the great powers of old, we have not sought world domination. Our union was founded in resistance to oppression. We do not seek to occupy other nations. We will not claim another nation’s resources or target other peoples because their faith or ethnicity is different from ours. What we have fought for — and what we continue to fight for — is a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other peoples’ children and grandchildren can live in freedom and access opportunity.

Bravo! A welcome declaration from a president who, heretofore, has emphasized America's mistakes and has seemed loath to speak of the triumphs for liberty and unparalleled generosity that preceded his administration. Then again, Obama wasn't speaking tonight before a foreign audience, but a gathering of West Point cadets — about as "domestic" as you can get.

Obama needs to emphasize this point more if he really believes that the Afghanistan project shares this noble context.

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Tue, 12/01/2009 - 18:22 — Joel

(Sigh.)

This is what Obama told a European audience back in the spring.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism. I'm enormously proud of my country and its role and history in the world. If you think about the site of this summit and what it means, I don't think America should be embarrassed to see evidence of the sacrifices of our troops, the enormous amount of resources that were put into Europe postwar, and our leadership in crafting an Alliance that ultimately led to the unification of Europe. We should take great pride in that.

And if you think of our current situation, the United States remains the largest economy in the world. We have unmatched military capability. And I think that we have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are exceptional.

Now, the fact that I am very proud of my country and I think that we've got a whole lot to offer the world does not lessen my interest in recognizing the value and wonderful qualities of other countries, or recognizing that we're not always going to be right, or that other people may have good ideas, or that in order for us to work collectively, all parties have to compromise and that includes us.

And so I see no contradiction between believing that America has a continued extraordinary role in leading the world towards peace and prosperity and recognizing that that leadership is incumbent, depends on, our ability to create partnerships because we create partnerships because we can't solve these problems alone.

Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/04/04/obama-too-is-an-american-exceptionalist/#ixzz0YUgom8Ja

I mean, keep pushing that "Obama secretly hates America, especially when he's in Europe" meme. Don't let the fact that the evidence contradicts it stop you.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 19:26 — Dr. Zaius

Context matters

Note all the running down of America in that speech and others he's made on the world stage. Big difference. And I love this part:

I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.

In other words, there's no reason for anyone to think America is more exceptional than any other country. Fact is, there's damn good reason for people all over the world to think America is exceptional. And a president shouldn't be reluctant (perhaps a bit embarrassed?) to say so. As a force of good, we have zero real peers among nation-states ... (blah, blah, blah ... as my words are converted into pops and whistles in your ears ...)

Look, Joel. I was praising Obama, as best I can at the moment. And I, unlike some Democrats, will actually root for the Obama surge in Afghanistan to work because choosing between supporting the war prosecution of a president of the other party, and hoping that a defeat is hooked around his neck, it is no contest. Not even close. Call me a Lieberman Republican. When I was a columnist and editorial writer for a Virginia newspaper in the Clinton years, I praised his exercise of military power in Bosnia and (especially) Iraq. If that stuff was online, I'd show it to you.

Declare victory already! At least today. ;-)

(And, no. I was not putting you among those "some Democrats.")

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 20:00 — Dr. Zaius

MSNBC's Post-Speech Circular Firing Squad

I share this, only because I find it deliciously funny. From an excellent post by Thomas Donnelly at The Corner.

Finally, a bit of deliciously petty partisanship: lots of long faces at MSNBC. Olberman taking refuge in Cheney-bashing; Matthews grumpy at having his Bill-Moyers-vintage-Vietnam-LBJ analogies taken away; Rachel Maddow trying to take chirpy consolation in Obama’s pragmatism; a progressive circular firing squad. A perverse but still real measure of success.

As Joel outlined earlier, Obama keeping his Afghanistan campaign promise is causing the Pepto Bismol to fly off the shelves in liberal enclaves. Gotta admit it. I'm enjoying that a bit.

Wed, 12/02/2009 - 03:55 — Deregulator

Matthews' "enemy camp" comment

This maroon has actually become more outrageous than his Darrell Hammond doppleganger:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTbJcixsLq8

He's beyond parody.

Wed, 12/02/2009 - 11:38 — Christian Toto (not verified)

On Matthews

A few years ago I sat in the audience of a PBS style political show ... it was all about Chris Matthews, and the pundit spoke up a storm that day.

My political leanings then aren't what they are today (I've shifted right but was never a full blown leftie) but I remember thinking how smart, logical and reasonable Matthews' presentation appeared.

What ... the heck ... happened to him in the intervening years?

If it's an act, it's an unseemly one. If it's not ... what can you say?

Wed, 12/02/2009 - 12:29 — john 2000

same here

The only reasonable explanation can be that he and NBC are really part of the extreme right wing conspiracy. Anything else is sheer madness.

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