Andrew Bacevich
Los Angeles Times
Are Americans the new Chosen People? asked Andrew Bacevich. For anyone running for president, the belief that God has chosen us to lead the world has become a prerequisite. Republican hopeful Mitt Romney recently became the latest contender to affirm his loyalty to “American exceptionalism,’’ insisting last week, “America must lead the world” and “I will never, ever apologize for America.’’
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On what do politicians base their claims about America’s divine role? Not the Hebrew Bible, and not the teachings of Jesus Christ. Instead, it appears to be part of some “de facto Third Testament,’’ in which our military supremacy serves God’s purposes. When we launch botched and bloody wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s because we’re promoting freedom and unselfishly serving mankind; therefore, we must be exempt from rules governing lesser nations.
Next year, Republicans will argue that Obama doesn’t believe in America’s divine mission. And as he’s done before, Obama will reaffirm that he, too, believes in the Third Testament. So no matter who triumphs in 2012, “the real winner is going to be the concept of American exceptionalism.”