If Obama endorses the concept of American exceptionalism, and explains during an overseas visit that he believes the U.S. is a uniquely special nation, above all others, he runs the risk of reinforcing the notion of American arrogance and jingoism. American exceptionalism is, after all, a favorite of the neocons, and undergirds the idea that we operate on a different level than everyone else. But if Obama rejects the concept, he might give the impression that he sees his own country as less than special or unique. His critics would pounce, insisting that to give up on American exceptionalism is to give up on America's role as leader of the free world.

Given this, the president's response was pretty interesting.

I'd say it was interesting, and I'd also say that its reflective of someone who understands reality often has more than one dimension. Had Obama spurned the notion that the American Experience wasn't indeed unique in the positive sense, those who staunchly preach this gospel would have had further ammunition in their attempts to paint him as less American than they's prefer.

His answer is reflective of his manner of conciliation and belief in both shared responsibility and shared success. Bravo.

"Oh yeah? Where's the fucking flag pin, flop-ears?"

-the "loyal opposition"

Such a refreshing change, a president who's also intelligent.

So . . . is it yes? Or no?

Lawyerspeak. Sorry - no, we aren't; we just think we are.

So . . . is it yes? Or no?

...I'd also say that its reflective of someone who understands reality often has more than one dimension.

Why does this not surprise me?

Lawyerspeak. Sorry - no, we aren't; we just think we are.

I think just the opposite. Obama was saying, "Yes, we are, but so is everyone else in their own ways that contribute to the betterment of society on a global scale."

Americans have quite a bit to be proud, of but we're not alone in that distinction nor are we above recognizing the accomplishments and achievements of others who view their societies like we do ours.

Personally, I liked Obama's answer to this question.

He addressed it from all angles and while some could view it as his usually typical lawyerly attempt to cover all angles - to be all things to all people - I happen to feel he nailed this one.

In a rare moment of agreement with Tony - BRAVO!

Obama gave the kind of answer a contestant would give in a Miss America contest. The fact is, America is going broke fast while Obama acts like his projections are going to turn out as he predicts.

In one respect, Obama is right about America exceptionalism not being unique. Nations have gone bankrupt before. This will be an American first he can be proud of.

Obama gave the kind of answer a contestant would give in a Miss America contest. The fact is, America is going broke fast while Obama acts like his projections are going to turn out as he predicts.

While I mostly agree regarding the direction we are heading, I thought that from a historical perspective, Obama's answer was good.

Jeff- That is an agreement you will later regret. His spending and deficits are going to the moon.

Contrary to common belief, consumption is not the cause of production; it's a consequence of production. This is a disaster of epic proportions in the making.

That is an agreement you will later regret. His spending and deficits are going to the moon.

You are speaking toward 2 completely different issues, Ray.

I think his characterization of this country's past greatness is on-target; however I feel his prescribed recipe(s) for our future is an unmitigated disaster.

That doesn't sound like: "While I mostly agree regarding the direction we are heading,"

I wonder what Tony thinks about Obama's prescriptions?

Spoken like a true politician.

"Obama gave the kind of answer a contestant would give in a Miss America contest."

Yet, it was the perfect answer, which shows you how substantive the question was in the first place.

I'd like to see someone ask him where he's going to get all the money he's planning on spending and if he understands the devastating effects of hyper-inflation.

Ray...

The question had NOTHING to do with economic policies borne out by the hole this nation was placed in over the last 8 years. You are conflating things having zero to do with each other as Jeff correctly stated.

Personally, I liked Obama's answer to this question.

He addressed it from all angles and while some could view it as his usually typical lawyerly attempt to cover all angles - to be all things to all people - I happen to feel he nailed this one.

In a rare moment of agreement with Tony - BRAVO!

#8 | Posted by JeffJ
* * * *

I'll take your word for it. I fell asleep somewhere during the 11th paragraph.

Oh, so now he likes American Exceptionalism????????

Organizer-in-Chief USA apology tour director.....world is snickering...

WHEN THE RIGHT DEMANDS JINGOISM.... It's hard to guess what far-right media personalities are going to find worthy of a feeding frenzy. Apparently, President Obama's comments -- four days ago -- about renewing the U.S. partnership with our European allies are the new rallying point for hysterical conservative whining.

It started in earnest on Saturday when Sean Hannity engaged in a little creative editing and blasted the president for acknowledging that there have been times in which the U.S. had "shown arrogance" towards our friends in Europe.

This line of attack didn't seem to go anywhere. There was no buzz on the morning shows yesterday, little from Drudge, nothing from Politico, nothing from Halperin. Hannity's condemnation came and went, except for those who noted Hannity taking the president out of context.

And yet, today, Fox News seems to be talking about little else. Hannity, Karl Rove, Nicole Wallace, Steve Forbes, Mike Huckabee, and a variety of Fox News personalities are positively outraged that the president dared to say something mildly critical of previous American attitudes. Obama's speech, they insist, is evidence that the president doesn't love America as much as they do.

Again, Obama's comments were aired live to a national television audience on Friday morning, and it wasn't considered remotely controversial. Now, the far-right is apoplectic because, well, just because.

Given that Fox News didn't care on Friday, but cares about little else today, what do you want to bet that some Republican National Committee staffers, after strategizing over the weekend, sent out a memo this morning to Fox News, encouraging them to hit this "story" as the "scandal" of the day?

Tony,

Perhaps you could take time away from your applauding Obama's answer to a question to visit the thread on his invocation of "state secrets" to prevent a court from reviewing the legality of the NSA's warantless wiretapping program. There seems to be a dearth of Obama supporters there.

So much for the 'he can't speak without a teleprompter. I dare you to find a W answer as detailed and well thought out on the fly.

Right wing talking heads are lunatics. Why they think they have a lock on patriotism is a mystery. They think they'll regain power - and then what? Do everything the opposite of what they profess to stand for .... again?

there have been times in which the U.S. had "shown arrogance" towards our friends in Europe.

Thumbing our noses at Europe over going to war with Iraq, Rumselds "that's OLD Europe", "Freedom Fries" etc. Just a couple of examples for the lesser informed ... but arrogant nonetheless.

That answer from Obama was so damn good I have to think that he knew the questions was coming.

But regardless, what Obama said needed to be said.

Well done sir!

Having the dollar as the primary "international exchange currency" is the main source of our exceptionalism.

One language, transportation and mail system, from coast to coast is another powerful advantage. Unfortunately, rich greedfuckers are dying to dismantle or take these things over.

Funny, the thing he finds exceptional, military power, free speech and thought and working with those you disagree with are the very thing he and his party has tried so hard to bring down.

Americans will never be exceptional until they learn the fucking metric system.

There, I said it!

The Metric System is so simple it's actually dumb so it would dumb down Americans even more. Think about it when measuring something it would be done with mm cm m and dm. With Our measuring system we have to think about which fraction is smaller or bigger than the next making Americans have to THINK when they measure stuff. Hence it would promote brain cell stimulation and growth.

Larry

Well then maybe we should count using only Prime Numbers then Larry.

It would make about as much sense as sticking with the US unit system.

haven't heard any of this on his blame america tour,just obama apologizing for americas sins against the world.

It would make about as much sense as sticking with the US unit system.

Those pesky brits and their Imperial System...

of course we're exceptional - just have an earthquake and have 60 or 70 people die and a 1000+ people left homeless - we'll send you $50,000! isn't that special?!?

of course we're exceptional - just have an earthquake and have 60 or 70 people die and a 1000+ people left homeless - we'll send you $50,000! isn't that special?!?

No it would be just talk for media show, we'll talk to our lawyers and their lawyers and our lawyers and try and decide what political organization or state is responsible for weeks before grasping an understanding of feeling empathy and seeing the real need for helping these people.

Isn't that special!

of course we're exceptional - just have an earthquake and have 60 or 70 people die and a 1000+ people left homeless - we'll send you $50,000! isn't that special?!?

#31 | Posted by nanc

Let me ask you a couple of honest questions, and you give us honest answers...

Did you read the original announcement and still not understand that this was only an IMMEDIATE cash payment directly from the embassy?

Do you believe that is the full extent of the aid the United States will provide Italy for this tragedy?

Did you read the original announcement and still not understand that this was only an IMMEDIATE cash payment directly from the embassy?

Do you believe that is the full extent of the aid the United States will provide Italy for this tragedy?

No and No....But did you hear what Sean Hannity said about Obama and his non-America-loving self?

But did you hear what Sean Hannity said about Obama and his non-America-loving self?

#34 | Posted by tonyroma

No, I missed that.

I think the Nanc may also have forgotten what the original pledge by the Bush Admin. was for tsunami relief and how low it initially sounded.

And then what the US commitment really turned out to be, plus the tremendous amount of private funds raised by Clinton and H.W. Bush.

Holy fuck what an answer. Sounds to me like he was ready for that one.

Just imagine what Bush would have said....

I think the Nanc may also have forgotten what the original pledge by the Bush Admin. was for tsunami relief and how low it initially sounded.

And then what the US commitment really turned out to be, plus the tremendous amount of private funds raised by Clinton and H.W. Bush.

No forgetting, just another cheap opportunity to impugn Obama and his nascient administration because they don't subscribe to the same ideology as the prior occupants of the White House.

Just the same ole', same ole'....

Holy fuck what an answer. Sounds to me like he was ready for that one.

Yeah, but can you have a beer with him?

You can?

...

DAMN this guy is GOOD!

FTFA:
If Obama endorses the concept. . ..

. . . But if Obama rejects the concept. . ..

wow, yes or no. so which was it, has the author figured that out yet?

the president answered well.

3 years 10 months, then we can flush this turd.

'God bless America? NO NO NO NO, I say GODDAMN AMERICA', President Hussein's spiritual mentor and hero, Rev. Jeremiah Racist.

Hey Obama, what about people and fish coexisting together peacefully?

Hussein denigrated and demeaned the U.S. in every speech he made.

He truly loathes this country in his heart, he was taught this by his mentors, Wright, Ayers, Frank the Poet, Fleger, Farrakhan, etc.

And now his disdain for the US is on full display for the world.

Bin Laden must be laughing his ass off.

bwhahahahahaha too fucking funny for words. Obama scares the Right Wingers. He mst be doing something Right(Pun intended) bwhahahahahahaha

Larry

Bin Laden must be laughing his ass off.

#43 | Posted by r_zeitgeist

He couldn't have wished for someone better suited to further his purposes than George W Bush - who inflamed Muslims around the world by invading Iraq and all that followed in the "War on Terror" (including creating MORE terrorists according to our OWN intelligence services), alienated our allies, and turned budget surpluses into the largest debt ever known in the history of mankind.

Bin Laden even came out a couple days before the 2004 Presidential election to ensure Americans (like fearful righties) got their panties in a wad over "Orange Alerts" and Bush got another four years to wreak havoc on America and help Al Qaeda's cause.

Bin Laden played Bush and the scared-to-death righties like marionettes.

Left wing hack, don't address me directly under any circumstance.

He hit a home run on this question. He certainly hasn't done so on every question or issue so far, but this one, bingo.

Sure we are exceptional, we give 900 million to hamas, and 50 thousand to Italian quake victims!!

bwhahahahahahahahaha Rex bwhahahahahahahahaha ROFLMMFAO.

Larry

Now we can just call the overseas contingency operators AU!

That's your huge ego telling you things.

Gee, is this site called the "Retort"? Thought it was. Thought RCADE owns it. Where's yours? Oh, ya, it flopped.

The question had NOTHING to do with economic policies borne out by the hole this nation was placed in over the last 8 years. You are conflating things having zero to do with each other as Jeff correctly stated.

#16 | Posted by tonyroma

You must have missed the part where I said he answered the question like a Miss America contestant. You're making an issue over trivia.

The hole Bush dug is nothing compared to the hole Obama is digging. This one is going into the abyss. You're only making a fool of yourself by defending him and showing yourself to be incompetent in judgment.

DAVE

"Such a refreshing change, a president who's also intelligent." #3 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis

It's a noted fact he is the smartest Democrat in the world.

"Americans will never be exceptional until they learn the fucking metric system.

There, I said it!"

We know the metric system. We learn it in school. We are just more used to another system, which is reason enough to keep it. I can estimate distance in inches, yards, miles. I can estimate weight in grams, ounces, pounds. I can estimate volume in pints, quarts, gallons. I can't do the same in metric because I haven't been doing it my whole life.

Plus, spending billions of dollars we don't have for a conversion that will mostly help foreigners (by making it easier for them to do business here and increase our trade imbalance) would be foolish right now.

Americans will never be exceptional until they learn the fucking metric system.

A good start, at least.

The answer by the president this time was an exellent one. When it comes to being critical of the president, when such is deserved, count me amongst the first group. When it comes to congratulating the president, when such is deserved, count me amongst the first group. Sure, we have problems to be fixed. We can do so, but always, within our constitutional form of government. A beer commercial from the Northeast comes to my mind. The commercial asked: "Why do so many people like our beer? Because, "we must be doing something right." Here, in America, even with problems, "we must be doing something right," because, even with our problems, a lot of people want to come here. Now, to those that live in this country and believe that this country is no good, well, what the hell are you doing here? The roads out are plenty. The flights and ships leaving are plenty, and there are so many other heavenly places to go to that you should not waste any more time. The sooner you leave, the happier you will be. Von voyage. Kudos to the president on this one.

"We know the metric system. We learn it in school. We are just more used to another system, which is reason enough to keep it."

Riiight. It costs us billions every year to keep the backwards English system. Most idiotic thing we ever did was to end the conversion of America to metric system.

Now, the fact that I am very proud of my country

so did he check this out first with michele?

We have been pretty exceptional. We have a huge country filled with all the natural resources humans need. Haven't had threatning neighbors from the north or south and are protected by oceans on the east and west. Grew as a nation during the probably biggest growth and innovation period in human history. We have been spared the ravages of war on our soil since our civil war. Have had a continuous stream of immigrants who brought new ideas and new vigour. Etc.

What we are _not_ is special. Despite that being what many Americans believe. We are very human, as our history has proven.

Quite a few articles/columns have come out recently addressing this issue, "special" vs "exceptional". I think the reporter asked the wrong question.

So Rex, how goes things at the PWZ?

Wow. I just googled it and it doesn't seem to exist anymore.

I for one am shocked,stunned flabbergasted, and perhaps flumuxed!

Fuck the metric system. Fuck all you apologists. America is a GREAT country. Why do you think everyone wants to come here?

We dominate economically and militarily, and stick our neck out for our friends. Sure we have problems and make mistakes, just like every other country. Our country will lose its supremacy at some point, just like every other front-runner in history. I'm not so sure the next front-runner will be as nice as we have been to the rest of the world.

I don't really like Obama, but thought his response was very good (and probably rehearsed for the day he was asked that question).

Now, the fact that I am very proud of my country

so did he check this out first with michele?

#60 | Posted by afkabl2 at 2009-04-07 12:11 PM | Reply | Flag: DICK

US is not exceptional. If you want to look at data and facts we're not even in the top 10.

"Now, the fact that I am very proud of my country"

How? What is there to be proud of. Be more specific. What in this hell hole would you be proud of?

The fact that our school system is crap? The fact that our medical system is an inefficient mess? Or are you proud that we sold all of our industry over seas bankrupting our economy? Wait wait I know what is. I know exactly what makes you proud of America? Our 15.6% unemployment rate? Maybe it's the fact that our own people sold America to the highest bidder?

Be specific! Name something you're proud of!

Good answer by Obama.

Goes well beyond beyond the inane "my country right or wrong" jingoism previously preached by pseudo-patriots on the right.

Indicates clearly the fact that Obama is an exceptional POTUS as well. One who's capable of a degree of nuanced understanding and communication that his immediate predeccesor was simply incapable of.

US is not exceptional. If you want to look at data and facts we're not even in the top 10.

Biggest economy in the world still and with the biggest and most well equipped military. With a tradition of freedoms that while not always adhered to have been a source of inspiration for many folks both in America and around the globe.

That's pretty exceptional.

The fact that the American elite have sold out the nations birthright for a bowl of chinese rice pudding and that the American economic hegemony is in peril notwithstanding.

Be Well.

I hope all you nitpickers and deflectors and yeah-but-what-about-this-or- thatters realize how childish you look. The man gave a good answer to a question. He didn't save the freaking world, but he gave a good answer to a loaded (but fair) question.

Sometimes you people bore me.

This is a tough question without a tele-prompter...

Just reread his answer after reading some of the comments.

It was superlative. No two ways about it. Say whatever you want, but to argue otherwise says more about you than Obama.

Okay, the man is glib. What's all the hossannahs for? This is trivial and a deflection from his massive clusterfucks that are sure to compound the mess Bush left him.

Bam invents a new language!...Austrian.

"also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of -- I don't know what the term is in Austrian -- wheeling and dealing -- and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics."

B Obama

The question was planted and the answer rehearsed.

Obama hates America. If this were truly a spontaneous question and answer, Obama would have droned on and on about aMERICA'S MISTAKES.

"From a British reader"

Damn Doc you are right! (or should I say correct) I had several pages opened and incorrectly credited the wrong source. My bad and I am impressed!

In line with expectation of a clever Popularis whose actions are trampling the Constitution into a dust and bankrupting the Republic...so his pronouncements are just that. However, this will not stop libs having that tingling feeling up their legs I'm sure.

In line with expectation of a clever Popularis whose actions are trampling the Constitution into a dust and bankrupting the Republic...so his pronouncements are just that. However, this will not stop libs having that tingling feeling up their legs I'm sure.

I hope you were complaining the last 8 years. So far what we have with Obama is nothing like that. I've disagreed with Obama on FISA and this latest court challenge, though I completely understand why he's doing it. I still don't like it. From everything I've read there is no more torture, no more enhanced interrogations going on, and no more extraordinary renditions. Gitmo will be closed. The only argument now is will he allow the spotlight to shine in the ugly dark places we've been. Let's be honest - there's a lot of people still in the Intelligence Community that wouldn't like that - and we depend on them (unfortunately).

If it comes to light that we are still doing the stuff Bush allowed, then we can have a discussion about trampling the Constitution.

To broadly state his actions are trampling the Constitution shows either an enormous ignorance of what he's doing, or a completely ideological perspective about "trampling" that renders further discussion pointless.

Also, I find this whole "bankrupting the Republic" thing amusing. We've had a country smoking 4 packs a day, doing everything it can do to become sick - and now we get non-stop complaining about the high cost of chemotherapy.

If we'd acted responsibly we wouldn't be in this horrid situation of choosing the best of awful options.

After four years of Obama, we might not be.

If we'd acted responsibly we wouldn't be in this horrid situation of choosing the best of awful options.

...and you expect the government to do anything about it?