How exceptional are we?

USA Today's front page, top-of-the-fold story for ... uh ... today ... is about American exceptionalism.

Prospective Republican candidates will probably attack President Obama in the next election for "pursuing an agenda on health care, the economy, and foreign affairs that is at odds with fundamentals that distinguish the United States." [Source] Newt Gingrich predicts the exceptionalism issue will be "one of the two or three deciding issues of 2012."

What a farce. Matter of fact, I hope that's an issue, because that would mean he'll have done a pretty good job.

For the record, Obama does feel the U.S. is exceptional. While at a news conference in Strasbourg, France in April 2009, he stated, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."

He then used four more paragraphs to expound on the matter -- four more paragraphs that didn't fit into the sound byte. Gingrich called his comments a "disaster." [Source]

I'll admit it wasn't the strongest position he could have taken, but a diplomatic answer seemed most appropriate for the time.

Sarah Palin would disagree. "When President Obama insists that all countries are exceptional, he's saying none is, least of all the country he leads." [Source: America by Heart]

Wow, what a bad attitude, Syndrome. Maybe not everyone deserves a trophy for participation, but to continue the metaphor, would she tell someone to their face their kids just aren't special? Would she have been content watching Dash beat her kid in every race for years on end, explaining, "Well, he wins because he's special"?

But there's a problem with this analogy, in any case -- we're not exactly leading the way in anything except defense spending and overall GDP.

In America By Heart, Palin gives a list of qualities that show our exceptionalism. Quoting the National Review, we are "freer, more individualistic, more democratic, and more open and dynamic than any other nation on Earth." [Source] And according to Alexis de Toqueville, our religion, law, and geography also contribute.

That's a fair evaluation, these sources only address the past -- what has made us exceptional -- not the present or future.

Palin also criticizes the health care bill, federal bailouts and Obama's speeches on the world stage as antithetical to the nation's tradition of free markets and individual responsibility.

Again, fair attacks, but what does she stand for? To what future does she point the way? To rising health care premiums and drug costs? Preservation of the "Great Status Quo?" Not even the people of North Korea can long survive a strict diet of patriotic ferver -- our politicians need to provide solutions to our present problems.

I don't want to hear from the politician who declares "American Exceptionalism!" with their head buried in the sand. What's their basis for comparison?

I'd rather give my vote to the guy who's willing to learn from the best and work to make America exceptional again.