Quote:
Originally Posted by superdude17*
... liberals hate seeing America as the strongest country in the world, and want to please everybody else...
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I think there is a vast difference between being the "strongest" or "the best" and being "wise" or a "good leader."
The United States - without a doubt - is a wonderful nation, with wonderful people and great potential. I say "great potential" because - as a major player upon the world stage - I don't think we are where we could (or should) be.
A great leader leads by example, and if we expect other nations of the world to act in a certain way (honestly, fairly,
wisely), then we need to demonstrate how to do so through our own actions. Force should be tempered and used sparingly; fiscal responsibility should be evident at every level of government.
I believe a great example of this involves the enemy combatants being held at Guantanamo. Sure, they're not U.S. citizens, and some of them are likely quite guilty. But, to demonstrate the humaneness and superiority of our judicial system, to show the rest of the world how (and why) it
should be done, we should have processed these captives like we would our own citizens.
Though leading by example should start at the top, it also needs to influence how we treat our children and each other. As much as we may wish to dismiss it, perception is an important element in determining how we fit into the world puzzle, and perception is largely determined by action.