Friday, September 14, 2012

Apologies accepted

Not surprisingly, Mitt Romney is wrong again.
Even beyond the crass political nature of his rushed comments, lies the underlying error of his worldview.
President Obama has not 'apologized for America', but he has granted other countries and their leaders a more equitable standing in the world in his dealing with them.
This is a most correct way to approach other countries.
I'm not sure what I make overall of the concept of American exceptionalism, but I am sure I don't believe it means someone automatically becomes exceptional just by being American.
Does anyone believe Ted Bundy was an exceptional human being? He was an American.
Does anyone believe Mahatma Gandhi wasn't an exceptional human being? He was not an American.
To recognize that America has made some mistakes and to acknowledge our shared humanity with people of other nations does not denigrate our country, it exalts it.
To pretend that we are somehow superior to everyone else is not only insulting and unfair to those others, it makes us look childish and stupid.
No wonder the image of the ugly American is so widespread that even we are painfully aware of it.
If President Obama has begun to lift us above and beyond this awful stereotype, God bless him. Let's not go back to it now.

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