To the editor:
I am writing to comment on the latest and only debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
This election comes on the heals of extraordinary times of our country and I think Palin, in her attempt to clone herself after Reagan driving the kids to a soccer game, made the most revealing comment in her closing.
She and presumably McCain believe in the notion of American Exceptionalism; a quasi-ideological and religious notion that we in America are exceptional by providence and are always righteous in our international pursuits. We are “the city on a hill” to quote governor John Winthrop in 1630 (later misquoted by Ronald Reagan). The latest version is from George W. Bush describing this country as the “beacon for liberty and democracy.” Of course after declaring ourselves exceptional we proceed to massacre the native population for their land.
This concept is a double-edged sword many Americans do not appreciate. We are certainly exceptional in our form of government and devotion to freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
We are also exception to have lived in an apartheid society with segregated armed forces even when fighting the evils of fascism and totalitarianism during World War II.
One could go on and on about how exceptional we are, both positively and negatively, but let us dwell on one simple but very dangerous outcome of this exceptionalism; the ability to justify a military preemptive strike against another sovereign nation. The decision to invade Iraq was based on our perceived national security interest and later was changed to our mission to promote freedom and democracy – again in our nation’s interest but not a threat.
The mission is key since it was wrapped in the exceptionalism of divine providence; both Bush and Palin have made a reference to God having a significant role in the righteousness of this foreign policy. I presume McCain believes this as well although I do not cast him as the same light as Bush.
The danger here is simply to believe we are right because God is on our side. Every aggressor in every way has believed this to some extent but certainly the Germans did when they launched World War I and World War II. The supremacy of a national interest was clearly expressed by Germany just prior to launching World War I, declaring, “Necessity knows no law.”
Perceived national interest are not enough to launch a military strike to our modern world. International law requires an imminent threat for a self-defense action. The UN has attempted to prevent wars with this legal standard – a standard we ignored because we are exceptional. This arrogance of power combined with our divine mission is the essence of our current foreign policy debacle – a policy supported by Palin.
We do not get our power as a nation from God. We get it from the people and we need to take it back.
Gary Way
LangleY
