America the Hammer

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/America-the-Hammer-by-Bob-Burnett-America_American-Foreign-Policy_American-Military_Biblical-Lessons-In-Leadership-140919-385.html



The US Hammers the World

America the Hammer
By Bob Burnett
OpEdNews Op Eds 9/19/2014 at 08:24:04

In his September 10th speech about middle-eastern terrorists, ISIL, President Obama gave the classic rationale for US involvement: "America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth" Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world." What kind of leadership?

Obama's assertion of US leadership has two components. In the first, the President boasted that our economy is the strongest in the world: "Our technology companies and universities are unmatched; our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. Energy independence is closer than it's been in decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history." The 2013 World Bank rank of countries by GDP shows the US number one ($16.8T), followed by China ($9.2T), Japan ($4.9T), Germany ($3.6T), France ($2.7T), England ($2.5T), Brazil ($2.2T), Russia ($2.1T), Italy ($2.1T), and India ($1.8). Two-thirds of the way through 2014, the US is still number one .

Most Americans believe the US is the world leader. A recent CNN article examined recent poll results and concluded how Americans respond, when asked about America's stature, depends upon the way the question is framed. If we are asked, "Because of the United States' history and its Constitution, do you think the US has a unique character that makes it the greatest country in the world?" 80 percent of respondents agree.

On the other hand, many Americans are not happy with the economy. The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 50 percent of respondents feel the economy is "improving." Nonetheless, 49 percent believe the US is "still in a depression." (That's down from 64 percent in December). 52 percent opined, "The economy has improved a bit, but we have a long way to go before things are better." Given this pessimism, it's not surprising that 80 percent of respondents believe the US is in "a state of decline." 76 percent are not confident that "life for our children's generation will be better than it has been for us."