Why Is America Great?, Part V, It's Not Because We Are God's Chosen Nation

"American exceptionalism is now the central theme of Sarah Palin's speeches . . . [but is it] presumptuous, if not offensive." Read the Washington Post, Ohhh, America, you're so strong, which notes:

"The conservative use of American exceptionalism as a political sword today is perversely revealing. There's something off when the first generation of Americans that is less educated than its parents feels a deep need to be told how unique it is. Or that a generation that's handing off epic debts and a chronically dysfunctional political process (among other woes) demands that its leaders keep toasting its fabulousness. . .

Sarah Palin's focus on this theme proves she is shrewder than her critics acknowledge. I don't doubt that Palin's beliefs are sincere. But she's also tuned in to her audience: Millions of Americans who are anxious about America's trajectory and worried about their family's economic future. If you don't have real answers, soothing words are a start. "