Here’s an op-ed Putin put in the New York Times Web Page:
WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin is no fan of the idea of American exceptionalism. He suggests that God isn’t either.
“It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation,” Putin wrote in an opinion piece posted Wednesday on the website of The New York Times.
“There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too,” he wrote. “We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.”
Putin’s remarks concluded a plea to Americans for caution in dealing with Syria, a Russian ally. He cited President Barack Obama’s speech that Tuesday night in which he asserted that American ideals and principles “are at stake in Syria” as he made his case for holding the Assad government accountable for a deadly chemical weapons attack near Damascus.
“That’s what makes America different,” Obama said. “That’s what makes us exceptional. With humility, but with resolve, let us never lose sight of that essential truth.”
For the past several years I have felt that America’s belief that we rule the world will be our downfall. Since Obama became president I’ve felt certain it might. Here’s why.
A country with nearly 40% of its population on food stamps is far from exceptional. A country that is trying to roll-out a health care plan that won’t work is not exceptional. A country with nearly 17 trillion in debt isn’t a well-run country. Especially when the only solution is to raise the ceiling. A country that thinks it needs to go to war but doesn’t have any money to pay for that war is not exceptional.
America is looking a lot like Apple. Apple under Steve Jobs was exceptional. Exceptional products and a great investment opportunity. Apple under Tim Cook is rolling out cheap products not high-quality products and the stock market responded accordingly. Microsoft under Bill Gates was exceptional, just like Apple. Microsoft under Steve Ballmer became far less than exceptional.
When a country can’t protect an embassy, like Benghazi, and can’t find the people who killed the poor souls who died due to that lack of protection, and continues to lie to their citizens about what happened at that embassy, that country has no business trying to take on the Middle East alone.
I still remember what really brought down the USSR. A long war in Afghanistan that they couldn’t win and the cost of said war draining the coffers to the point where the country went broke. It’s hard to support a Russian, but at least Putin learned from what happened to the USSR in their contest to best the USA in exceptionalism.
The only thing worse for the USA under Obama would be a second term of McCain who is the poster boy for term limits. He would have us in war with the world now while he played poker on his smart phone while his food was being softened and his drool mopped.
