American Exceptionalism Is Un-American - Bruce Fein/HuffPo

[WillyT]

American Exceptionalism Is Un-American
Bruce Fein - Author, 'American Empire: Before the Fall'
Posted: December 17, 2010 04:31 PM

<snip>

"American exceptionalism" -- the narcissistic soundtrack of several presidential aspirants for 2012 -- is Un-American. The boast betrays ignorance of the Founding Fathers and the tarnished history of the United States. In any event, to overlook faults because other nations are more flawed is juvenile, and leads nowhere.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney scribbles in, "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," that, "This reorientation away from a celebration of American exceptionalism is misguided and bankrupt." Congressman Mike Pence (R. Ind.) similarly addressed the Detroit Economic Club on "Restoring American Exceptionalism: A Vision for Economic Growth and Prosperity." And the brilliant but sub-literate Sarah Palin, features a chapter in her book, America by Heart, entitled "America the Exceptional."

Although none of the three specifically define the term, "American exceptionalism" conveys three wrong or empty ideas: that Americans are blessed with morally superior DNA which immunizes them from the vices or ill-humors of human nature; that the history of the United States is morally irreproachable; or, that the United States, despite its warts, is less immoral than other wretched countries.

The Founding Fathers understood that human nature does not vary based on geography, race, religion, culture, or otherwise. They sculpted a Constitution that relied on a separation of powers, checks and balances, and a diffusion of authority to secure individual liberty and the rule of law. James Madison, father of the Constitution, lectured in Federalist 51:

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-fein/unamerican-american-excep_b_798402.html

:kick:

[styersc]

1. Whacko Right Wingers who push "American Exceptionalism" are

largely unexceptional people who are seeking to inflate themselves by association.