The Chairman's New Clothes, A Fairy Tale of American Exceptionalism

http://www.economist.com/node/16591267

"This was a war of Obama's choosing. This is not something the United States has actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."
—Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, at a  Connecticut fundraiser about the war in Afghanistan, which President Bush launched following the 9/11 terrorist attacks (July 2, 2010)

Following a firestorm of Republican criticism, Steele said,  "On the other matter, in terms of Afghanistan and all of that, let me be very clear: Absolutely, without equivocation, or doubt or hesitation, I'm foursquare, a thousand percent with our troops on the ground. My goodness, do not leave these young men and women without the resources they need. And that should have been very, very clear -- that I think it's important for us to recognize that this war on terrorism was brought to our shores and we must fight it. We must fight it. And we will fight it and we will win it, because that's what the resolve of the American people is on this. That's part of that exceptionalism again that we bring to this."

Michael Steele's recent comments concerning American exceptionalism demand a nuanced discussion. The term, like our national flag, has become an object of emotional projection, evoking a plethora of feelings and meanings. Ironically, he was forced to call upon the power of these words to recover from the earlier gaff about our role in Afghanistan. (inadvertent telling of the truth by a public figure) Defending his continued tenure as nominal head of the Republican Party, Michael Steele wrapped himself in the mantle of its ambiguous implications. American exceptionalism brings to mind liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism and laissez-faire. We love to think of ourselves as the best in all things because we are true to these great American values.

Although incorrect in referring to Afghanistan as Obama's War, Steele did raise an important question in doubting Obama's ability to succeed there. As Americans, we believe in our mid-20th century potency to "pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." (John F. Kennedy inaugural address January 20, 1961). Yet, at what cost to the needs of our citizenry do we fight in Afghanistan? In light of the corruption of the government in Afganistan, will our involvement actually assure the liberty of people here or abroad? Does the region's history doom our mission to be a fool's errand?

In what other ways has our belief in American exceptionalism blinded us to the reality of our situation? We have neglected our infrastructure. For example according to Thomas Friedman, “The difference is starting to show. Just compare arriving at La Guardia’s dumpy terminal in New York City and driving through the crumbling infrastructure into Manhattan with arriving at Shanghai’s sleek airport and taking the 220-mile-per-hour magnetic levitation train….Then ask yourself: Who is living in the third world?”

Individualism and laissez-faire implies that each of us is free to achieve to our highest potential. Yet our national health hampers the realization of our dreams. We are no longer the best nourished, healthiest people on the planet. Our healthcare system is ranked 37 by the World Health Organization. One marker of our declining overall health is a decline in height in the US population while Europeans are increasing. John Komlos, Professor of Economic History at the University of Munich, and Benjamin Lauderdale of Princeton University's Department of Politics points to poorer diets in the US. Other factors might include Europe's superior health care and welfare systems, better health care in western and northern Europe and more comprehensive welfare systems.  At the same time,  we are overfed and under-exercised. We lead the planet in obesity, an epidemic 30% of  our population.

Despite our professed value of populism, championing the people in their  struggle for power with the elite, we are falling behind in educating the masses. We offer some of the world's greatest universities, yet student achievement among the vast majority of students is in decline. UNICEF ranked the US school system as 17th globally in student achievement.  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked US student scores as 33rd in the world, although they fare better in math scores at 27th.

And what about our beloved egalitarianism? CBS news reports that "Women in the United States who are 30 to 44 and who hold a university degree — meaning a bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctorate or medical degree — make only 62 percent of what similarly qualified men do."

And so I show Michael Steele in the embarrassing position of the legendary emperor parading in his new raiments.  The clothes that he and everybody else believed to be the most costly and fabulous.  The clothes that were woven from the fiber of fiction.

http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity
http://atlanticreview.org/archives/661-Europeans-are-taller-than-Americans.html
http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-universities/2010/02/25/worlds-best-universities-top-400.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/13/national/main838207.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/26/world/main530872.shtml
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity
http://www.geographic.org/country_ranks/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html