U.S. Senator John McCain will submit an opinion piece to the Russian newspaper Pravda in response to an op-ed on Syria in The New York Times by Russian President Vladimir Putin that infuriated many members of Congress. Oh really? Many members of Congress? How many Americans did it infuriate?
For McCain to respond in kind? I say Hell No! If our own President hasn’t the balls to respond to Putin’s belittling, watching anyone else speak for him will only reinforce his misguided point. And Obama hasn’t enough pride in our country or confidence in his own beliefs to respond in a way the situation demands. Make that Putin 2, Obama 0.
Obama is incapable of responding because he, like Putin, does not understand what American exceptionalism is. Well, I really can’t speak for Putin on this point. He might understand what it is, and merely chose the occasion to play on Obama’s ignorance to rub his face in it on the pages of the New York Times. Obama proved a few years ago that he hasn’t a clue what American exceptionalism is. When asked by a foreign journalist if he believed in American exceptionalism he responded, no more than the Brits think they are exceptional, and the Swiss think they’re exceptional, and the French, you get the idea.
Since this is not taught in schools any more, here’s the Cliff Notes version. American exceptionalism is NOT that we are a better or smarter people compared to the rest of the world. On that account we are all equal. That’s Obama’s definition, and Putin hit him between the eyes with it.
America’s exceptionalism began with our founding fathers and the founding of our country. All the countries in the world at the time of our founding and before were run by dictators, despots, and governments that ruled over their people, who were merely subjects of the government. There were no basic human and private property rights, freedom, or liberties that were guaranteed by the government. The government gave the people only what the government wanted the people to have. EXCEPT for the United States of America. We were the first country to form a government by the people and for the people, with inalienable rights given by God, not by the government. The people formed the government and gave it only the power over them that they choose it to have. Not the other way around. Our founders wrote a constitution and a bill of rights that served as the ‘governor’ to governmental power over the people, limiting its power. Obama calls that a “charter of negative liberties,” just to illustrate his contempt for our founding.The people control the government by a constitutional republic form of government. We are not subjects of the government. We are, essentially, the government. That idea was very radical for its time.
Our founding fathers knew what it was like to live under a tyrannical government and ruler under King George III. They were wise to craft a form of government that would guarantee, with all due diligence, that the United States would not turn into just another kingdom under a crown.
The result was, America became the EXCEPTION to the world order. The result was a free people, free to own the fruits of their labor, unrestrained by an oppressive government, that became the superpower of the world, by any measure, in less than 200 years of its founding. When compared to nation states that are several hundred, even thousands, of years older, it’s not difficult to see what American exceptionalism is.
Neither you or I can stop Sen. McCain from writing PRAVDA or ITAR-TASS. He has that right. What they need to see is some good old fashion American exceptionalism by writing your own letter to their editor. They’ll get the idea real quick what American exceptionalism is. And it isn’t Barack Obama.
Link: McCain to parry Putin N.Y. Times op-ed with one for Pravda – Yahoo News.
What Russian media is talking about: