Vladimir Putin in his September 12 op-ed in the New York Times: "I carefully studied his [Obama's] address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States' policy is 'what makes America different. It's what makes us exceptional.' It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal." American exceptionalism is not an attitude of self-congratulation or of superiority of Americans as individuals.  Rather it is standing in awe of the great edifice created by the Founding Fathers, expressed in the Declaration of Independence and vouchsafed in the Constitution. The...(Read Full Post)