President Obama On American Exceptionalism

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Obama Administration
Posted on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 04:27:53 PM EST
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As a believer in American Exceptionalism, I am well aware of how arrogant the phrase sounds. So kudos to President Obama (via Steve Benen) for his terrific answer to a question on American exceptionalism:

A reporter asked President Obama an interesting question yesterday: "[C]ould I ask you whether you subscribe, as many of your predecessors have, to the school of 'American exceptionalism' that sees America as uniquely qualified to lead the world, or do you have a slightly different philosophy?"

[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."

No one can deny the man's intellectual and political gifts.

Speaking for me only

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President Obama On American Exceptionalism | 47 comments (47 topical)

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Excellent answer (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by andgarden on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 04:30:49 PM EST

Good to (5.00 / 5) (#2)
by JThomas on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 04:34:00 PM EST

see that the President can articulate pride and humility in his country at the same time.

And it is driving the right-wingers nuts in the bargain.


: Too bad (5.00 / 3) (#10)
by Catch 22 on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 06:01:27 PM EST

he could not articulate such pride and humility with his FISA vote.

If only he had put values FIRST! (5.00 / 2) (#3)
by lambert on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 04:47:09 PM EST

Not economy -> military -> values (Constitution) but the other way round.

But still, I concur. Awfully good. And I'm always happy to hear about cranial splatterfests among the wingers.

I wonder if ... (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by EL seattle on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 05:20:39 PM EST

... there were any "ums" and "ahs" in his answer. If so, I think that's a great sign, because it would indicate that he's getting better at improvising his responses and answers on the spot. If there were no ums and ahs, I'd have to wonder whether or not this was a rehearsed statement recited from memory.

One way or another, it's a good answer. But I'd hope that it had occurred to Obama or his team since sometime last year that someone somewhere might ask it, and he should be ready to answer the question without directing anyone to his website.

There were. (5.00 / 1) (#24)
by Cream City on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 08:41:55 PM EST

I just watched the video. Very impressive, overall, of course -- but there were the usual number, and you had me counting. I stopped at ten in the first paragraph. It's just a tic he can't shake without the teleprompter . . . so it's always better to read him via transcripts.


Thanks for the follow-through! (none / 0) (#30)
by EL seattle on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 11:59:57 PM EST

I hope that they don't allow themselves to try stunts like planted questions to try and cover over this very human aspect. I think that it's probably just an indication of one of the learning curves that Obama will have to work on as part of his rookie year at the top job. But that's not a true weakness as long as Obama truely understands what he's saying between the ums and ahs.


First, (5.00 / 3) (#33)
by AscotMan on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 07:26:41 AM EST

it was all presentation and no substance. Now, you read his words (and admit the substance) but are disturbed by the presentation. Can we officially say ODS is in full effect here?


: It's not ODS for me (none / 0) (#37)
by Cream City on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:19:11 AM EST

as it's UDS -- I find all the uhhhhhs annoying and distracting, no matter who does them.

I see no problem in planted questions (none / 0) (#36)
by Cream City on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:18:09 AM EST

as long as all of the questions are not planted.

And a president should have planned answers, for many reasons. For one, to your point, that actually increases the odds that he participated in planning the answers and understand them, so that he is prepared to handle the unplanned questions that come as followup . . . that is, if there also are questions not planted, so that there can be followup. Of course, that also requires that the media also are sufficiently prepared, understanding the issues, to do followup. Ah, there's the rub . . . too.


Let me swap out a few words in (5.00 / 5) (#6)
by Anne on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 05:30:14 PM EST

some of what he said, so you can see why I found it so familiar:

"Now, the fact that I am very proud of being a Democrat and I think that we've got a whole lot to offer the country does not lessen my interest in recognizing the value and wonderful qualities of other political parties, 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 the Democratic party has a continued extraordinary role in leading the country 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."

It was deja vu for me.

Oh my (none / 0) (#12)
by Inspector Gadget on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 06:06:31 PM EST

recycled. When was this first one given, or was it a repetitive speech given during the campaign?

Does this mean the questioner was planted in the audience?

That's quite the memory you've got, Anne!


No, no - I didn't mean to suggest that (none / 0) (#17)
by Anne on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 07:07:22 PM EST

Obama had actually given the speech before and just replaced the words; as far as I know, he didn't do that.

All I meant to express was that what he said sounded a lot like what he has expressed about working with Republicans, not to mention his frequent references to the "good ideas" of others.

Sorry if my comment read like I knew he was recycling speeches.


: Just saw some cable news (5.00 / 3) (#21)
by Cream City on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 07:41:29 PM EST

channel (don't know which; someone else was surfing) reporting it exactly this way -- as an adapted campaign speech, Anne. So it's not just you.:-)

: Ah Okay, I see your point now (none / 0) (#20)
by aeguy on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 07:19:06 PM EST

: Yeah, it was... (none / 0) (#38)
by sj on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:33:41 AM EST

... the "good ideas" part that triggered the recognition for me.

Thanks for the reminder (none / 0) (#15)
by AX10 on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 06:52:53 PM EST

Did he have his teleprompter too?


So you're saying this is (none / 0) (#18)
by Faust on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 07:10:48 PM EST

his Post Nation Unity Schtick?


I heard the speech live on the radio (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Dr Molly on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 05:32:43 PM EST

and had exactly the same reaction as you. Good answer. Very diplomatic.

: Artful, and light-years better (none / 0) (#11)
by Cream City on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 06:01:29 PM EST

than the BBC interview, which was full of the ums and ahs and almost gibberish at points. I wonder if the on-again, off-again ability could be owing to, per press reports, Obama's near-exhaustion from the G20, NATO, and more. Plus a bad cold, clearly to be heard in his voice in a Prague speech.

What makes America exceptional (5.00 / 5) (#9)
by BernieO on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 05:57:05 PM EST

is that this country was founded on a set of Enlightenment ideals. But if we continue to fail to live up to these ideals, or fail to teach new generations about them there will be nothing exceptional about America. Lately our culture has seemed to be more Dark Ages than Enlightenment.

Not to start a fight with anyone (5.00 / 3) (#19)
by Steve M on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 07:18:16 PM EST

but I liked his answer a lot!

: I was grooving on the transcript... (none / 0) (#39)
by sj on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:33:52 AM EST

... right up until I came to a screeching halt on the "good ideas" bit. Sounded way too familiar.
I still think it's a good answer, but after that there's an involuntary mental shrug in my psyche when continue to read.

I am not a fan of the idea (5.00 / 5) (#22)
by ricosuave on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 08:06:40 PM EST

of American Exceptionalism, but that was a good response--as good as any American politician is going to give. I would prefer to see our leaders acknowledge that our greatness is not inherent, but something we only achieve through using our might for good, that we must continually strive to be worthy of admiration, and that it is a greatness that we believe all nations have the potential to achieve and the responsibility to strive for.

But politicians have to say we are great. Given that, it is nice to see it done eloquently.

oh contraire (5.00 / 1) (#28)
by pluege on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 09:57:28 PM EST

The statement is true only for people that believe in the concepts Obama espouses, that any peoples other than Americans have anything of value to contribute. For the plutocrats that control our media, our discourse, our economy, and our politics, the notion of other people being capable of contribution, or for that matter Americans not among the ruling elite being able to contribute anything, is anathema to them. So I would certainly think they would deny the gifts of Obama.

Gifted? (3.50 / 2) (#27)
by dk on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 09:46:04 PM EST

I guess I fail to see this as evidence of political or intellectual gifts. Seems pretty run of the mill to me.

I thinkit's pretty obvious (3.00 / 5) (#13)
by TeresaInSnow2 on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 06:15:58 PM EST

that the reporter was a plant, just as his "town hall meeting participants" were plants. Obama doesn't speak this well off the cuff.

: I think its pretty obvious (4.50 / 6) (#31)
by Socraticsilence on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 01:56:56 AM EST

that you're a plant and that whatever Obama does your going to have a negative response to it.

: I've been downrated! (3.50 / 2) (#40)
by TeresaInSnow2 on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 10:59:06 AM EST

My work here is done (bowing and smiling).

: The invasion of the orange people? (none / 0) (#42)
by hairspray on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 12:27:05 PM EST

Bah.... (none / 0) (#4)
by NYShooter on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 04:51:48 PM EST

George Bush would have said the same thing, AND much more eloquently.

It's such a beautiful day in NY today, I should have started drinking earlier.

: LOL ! (none / 0) (#29)
by oldpro on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 10:26:53 PM EST

i believe in (none / 0) (#8)
by Turkana on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 05:34:49 PM EST

west coast liberal exceptionalism. clever answer, by obama...

as for:

our body of law... our democratic practices... our belief in free speech and equality

i'm waiting to see what holder and others do...

I didn't think there's an exception. (none / 0) (#16)
by Salo on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 07:02:52 PM EST

More like riding your luck since ww2...That luck ran out in Iraq. OTOH America is the most ethnically diverse state on earth. So it is an oddity.

Well, (5.00 / 1) (#26)
by bocajeff on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 09:39:15 PM EST

Except for the whole constitution and democracy thing. If we didn't run out of luck in Vietnam then Iraq will be of little consequence.

America is an idea, an experiment, which has proven so far to be of value. Let's face it, like it or not, the world does tend to look this way for leadership on many issues whether we want to or not (or whether we live up to it or not). That's what American Exceptionalism is all about. Sort of like electing a black person president one generation from Segregation.


Iraq has bankrupted you. (none / 0) (#35)
by Salo on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:07:34 AM EST

It's that simple. There'd be no need for the bailout if you'd not invaded. It's the end of the road. Vietnam was fought ata time when the US was 50% of world GDP. You had cash to burn and blood to bleed.


"you?" "you'd?" (none / 0) (#41)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 12:16:54 PM EST

What country do you hail from?


Britain and the US. (none / 0) (#43)
by Salo on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 02:11:40 PM EST

Depends on the academic posting.


: I am in awe (none / 0) (#44)
by Socraticsilence on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 03:22:43 PM EST

of your ability to basically ignore the Marshall Plan- you know where the US bankrolled modern Europe and contained communism with the most effective (non-medical) government program of all time- its almost like the US did on balance push the 20th century in a positive direction.

hm (none / 0) (#45)
by connecticut yankee on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 03:38:12 PM EST

Look at Russia or China. It's very difficult to keep large countries down. I understand that some Brits are looking for a US variant of their own fall but Britain is a small place. When the empire fell apart they were left with a tiny island.

It's very unlikely that the US will see a similar loss of prestige though Ive heard Brits saying similar things before. At the time (late 80s), they were still referencing vietnam. I think there is a certain jealousy and hope for US failure behind some of those opinions.


Well there's (none / 0) (#32)
by Socraticsilence on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 01:58:49 AM EST

also as Obama mentioned, the bankrolling of modern Europe via the Marshall Plan.


The video is worth watching (none / 0) (#23)
by Inspector Gadget on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 08:28:56 PM EST

That question begins at approx 19:35

Excellent answer to a question that is becoming (none / 0) (#25)
by coast on Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 09:35:31 PM EST

more and more tiresome of having to answer. Reminds me of one of my alltime favor quotes on a similar point. Colin Powell gave this answer to the Archbishop of Cantenbury when he questioned America's intentions for going to war with Iraq as being nothing more than "empire building"- "Over the years America has sent many of its fine young men and woment into great peril to fight for freedom beyond its borders. The only amount of land we have asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." We should be humble, but other countries should not forget the sacrifices that our country has made, and continues to make, to try to do good in the world.

The Bishop was right. (5.00 / 2) (#34)
by Salo on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:06:21 AM EST

"Exceptionalism" (none / 0) (#46)
by jondee on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 04:34:50 PM EST

If we're in a unique position to do some good in the world, maybe we should start trying to figure out how to do some. It's never too late.

From where I sit, between the endless proxy wars, and unnecessary direct "interventions" -- we wont even get into how our unregulated financial behemoths destabilize the world economy -- it's been pretty much downhill since WWII.

As for Colin Powell, he must've forgotten about those 700+ military bases we've set up and maintained around the world. "All we've asked" indeed: I suppose hr must've been still in jive as* WMD-mode when he gave that answer.


: we've done (none / 0) (#47)
by Socraticsilence on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 04:50:13 PM EST

good though- we rebuilt Europe, stopped genocide in the Balkans (too late) are one of the leading forces in public health (globally- not at home that be "socialism"), contained the USSR, fed much of the world during major famines, etc. etc. our FP has been imperialistic at times, but to pretend that that US hasn't been a massive force for good on the whole is disingenous at best.

Some (none / 0) (#48)
by jondee on Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 04:59:06 PM EST

but nowhere near the amount we could have.

Massive, eh? Tell it to the Vietnamese, the Gautamalans, the Chileans, the Congolese, the Haitians, the Iranians, the Nicaraguans, the Salvadorans etc etc