QotD

[dglenn]

"The one thing I always remind people -- because they get discouraged, they say, 'you know, people around the world, they're expressing hatred toward America' -- you know, people outside of this country are expressing disappointment because they've got high expectations for America, and they wantAmerica to lead. They want America to lead

Comments

[realinterrobang]

they've got high expectations for America, and they want America to lead.

Oh, how depressingly wrong. Putting on my more anti-American hat than usual to tap into the sentiment here (which does not entirely accurately reflect my own personal beliefs on the subject), no, we don't want you to lead. We want you to stop doing what you refer to as "leading," and stop interfering with other countries' legitimate governments to serve US interests; we want you to stop acting as though, in world affairs, there are two sets of rules: one for you, and one for everyone else. (Or maybe three sets of rules -- one for you, one for your friends, and one for your enemies.) In other words, we'd like a little bit less of your acting like a global empire, which is especially galling, since you also like to go around talking about how you're a bastion of freedom and democracy in the world and the last, best hope of humankind, or something (values I do not find to be entirely consistent with the de facto proclamations of a seat of empire). A little

[hobbitblue]

this country is still the last, best hope on Earth.

Oh gods we're all doomed (though Obama seems to be pretty on the ball otherwise..)