Part of the American gestalt has always been that the US is an exceptional country among the nations of the Earth. The exceptionalism is sometimes interpreted in different ways: some citizens believe that the country was founded under the guidance of divine providence to be the unique fount of liberty and justice for mankind; others that our system of government is to serve as the best model for how societies should organize themselves; and still others that we have a unique responsibility to salve the major wounds - accidental and purposeful - that erupt around the world. However one defines it, there is no question that a vast majority of Americans, both now and in the past, consider the United States to be exceptional in an exceedingly positive way, and they take pride in being part of it. But not all Americans! Tragically, the President of the United States is not counted among them. He is on record, having publicly stated that his belief in American exceptionalism is no more...(Read Full Post)