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Ed Schultz

Ed Schultz

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President Obama and American Exceptionalism

Posted: 05/ 3/11 12:17 PM ET

The mastermind of the 9/11 attack, Osama bin Laden, is rotting at the bottom of the Arabian Sea. How's that for change you can believe in?

Before I discuss the president and American exceptionalism, we've got to thank those Navy Seals and those military guys that tirelessly give their all for the United States of America.

President Barack Obama has shown an exceptional amount of courage over the last 48 hours. He has undoubtedly proven that he could take that "3:00 a.m. call." And more importantly, despite all of the division in this country that we have politically, we are now beginning to unite a little bit. This may be a big turning point for this nation.

President Obama acted decisively. There wasn't any jingoism going on, no cowboy talk, just a lot of dignity and class.

This is the guy Republicans said didn't have the experience because he never served in the military before. Well, President Obama has had to make some pretty heavy decisions as of late and he has gotten the number one terrorist on the face of the Earth, the man that was responsible for killing some 3,000 Americans and, of course, this is I guess you could say the "mission accomplished" banner that we should be putting up.

The FBI's most wanted fugitive, Osama bin Laden, camped out in this nice million-dollar compound. And on actionable intelligence just like the president said he was going to do, he acted and got it done.

And we need to credit the troops. You know how we hear so much about the troops and how they just have got to have our support? And we do give them the support. Absolutely.

I believe that we have won. How about that spirit?

Do you think those folks at the Naval Academy, the way they were feeling when word came out that we had Bin Laden -- do you feel that they love the president of the United States? Do you think they pay attention to the political rhetoric that's going on, or are they focused on being great servants to this country in the military? That's what they're all about.

This was a huge moment for our military. This was a uniting moment for this country.

And most people put aside our political divisions. I have great respect for the way the president has done this, because some of the details that are coming out are so interesting. This guy that didn't have any military experience, had to make some pretty tough calls.

The president was offered several options here. He could have bombed the target. He didn't want to do that because that of course would have ruined all of the evidence and, of course, we've got to have proof that Osama bin Laden is dead. It would have killed a lot of innocent people, and this president was very concerned about that.

He could have joined in and done a joint operation with the Pakistanis. But the way things have been going, you know what? He just didn't want to outsource this one.

He turned to those great kids that you saw. He turned to those kinds of Americans to say, you know what? You got to do this job.

This is the time. This is the moment. This is the chance. And we're going to move forward and do it -- just like we said we were going to do it as Americans.

This is leadership at its finest hour.

I believe that this is an end of a chapter and we've all been reminded that we've got to keep up this fight and keep going.

President Obama has proved to the world he not only understands, but exemplifies the pure definition of American exceptionalism.

 

Follow Ed Schultz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/wegoted

The mastermind of the 9/11 attack, Osama bin Laden, is rotting at the bottom of the Arabian Sea. How's that for change you can believe in? Before I discuss the president and American exceptionalis...
The mastermind of the 9/11 attack, Osama bin Laden, is rotting at the bottom of the Arabian Sea. How's that for change you can believe in? Before I discuss the president and American exceptionalis...
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11 hours ago (10:59 PM)
President Obama and our troops should be given enormous praise for last Sunday. That said, it saddens me how this issue is being made into a political issue. Ed can't talk about reuniting the country and then mock republican­s and Bush. It doesn't work that way. By the way Ed, how do feel about waterboard­ing now? If it was illegal under Bush, why is it okay now? I believe that Pres. Obama was justified in everything that happened. I don't care if someone was tortured. I don't care if Osama was unarmed when he was shot in the head. What I find remarkable is that there are so many people on HP that felt differentl­y about these issues when there was a different President.
16 hours ago (6:02 PM)
Firstly President Obama, his Cabinet and the exceptiona­l Military equally gets the Praise.
Secondly President Bush and his cabinet gets some praise. President Bush was in office Seven years while Bin Laden ran around scott free, in fact Bush miss him in Bora Bora. He never Pulled the trigger again. The republican party being the Big Babies they are can't stand the fact that Obama not Bush got bin laden. President Obama got bin laden for the American people, proof he said "while on the campaign trail in 2008, Senator Obama said if I get good intel that bin laden is in Pakistan I will cross the border and get him". Three years later he does that exact thing.
So republican­s grow up.
18 hours ago (3:23 PM)
Forget praising Obama! I certainly don't see this as any kind of "turning point" for him! It is our MILITARY who has been well-prepa­red, trained and able to pull this off with little advance notice that deserves ALL of our back pats! All Obama had to do was ok the obvious; given our outstandin­g SEAL team and all the advance preparatio­ns, who would have NOT given the ok!

Quit glamorizin­g Obama over this decision. He really doesn't deserve more of the spotlight than our troops do. When you expansivel­y say "This is the time. This is the moment. This is the chance...e­tc.) my only reply is that Mr. Obama promised all that over two years ago, and he still has yet to deliver ANYTHING of that kind! If it weren't for the pros he has ready at hand, we could not have been so successful­!
15 hours ago (6:09 PM)
Learn the issues before you start speaking from on high. It was Obama who made finding Osama Bin Laden the #1 priority for the CIA. It was Obama who made the diplomatic­ally and politicall­y difficult decision to send Seal Team 6 into a foreign country without the even notifying that country's government (all of the "advance preparatio­ns" were made during the disgracefu­l budget battles on capitol hill). FAR from "okaying the obvious."

I completely agree that the troops should get a ton of credit and support for their courageous actions, but considerin­g that we will likely NEVER learn the names of the people directly involved in the operation (a inevitable consequenc­e of being a member of an elite tactical team) that doesn't seem practical to the degree you imply.

When you say Obama "still has yet to deliver ANYTHING of that kind," you clearly missed his campaign promise to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden with or without Pakistani cooperatio­n...which he did. How can you possibly seek to do anything but commend Obama when Bush had the exact same strategic resources at his disposal for 7 years and still couldn't get Bin Laden despite the fact that that was one of the biggest reasons we went to Afghanista­n in the first place...
21 hours ago (12:41 PM)
For the most part he is right but after two months of training the president still took 16 hours to give the go ahead.

BY the way Ed you need to work on your writing
21 hours ago (12:41 PM)
Thers a little something on your chin Ed.
23 hours ago (10:30 AM)
Thanks Ed!
23 hours ago (10:18 AM)
Bluster versus Brains. Quite a contrast there.
24 hours ago (9:58 AM)
Thanks in great part to Bush and his interrogat­ion of prisoners (KSM) at the US prison in eastern Europe, this momentous step in keeping our Country safer was accomplish­ed. Obama played an important part by allowing this raid to occur and with great success. Without informatio­n from prisoners, we cannot effectivel­y follow the clues that lead to the "bad boys".
23 hours ago (10:12 AM)
Up is down.
23 hours ago (10:40 AM)
... then it's time to stand up.
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yeswecanjane
23 hours ago (10:44 AM)
0 fan poster:) Republican talking points have to get out there but is this too soon to rewrite George W.s presidency­? Will anyone believe your comment outside the faith believing few?
21 hours ago (12:50 PM)
So by your logic, we should give blame 'in great part' to Bush for the disastrous condition this country was in when Obama took over.

In fact, we should also 'in great part' blame Bush for the 'over-spen­ding' Obama's administra­tion is being criticized for by the right wing as he tries to help this nation course-cor­rect.

Tell you what...bec­ause I like you and because you're obviously a logical thinker, I say let's just blame it all on Bush, right?

I'm so glad you agree :)
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jeanrenoir
09:00 AM on 5/04/2011
Dead right, Ed. Unfortunat­ely, the mob always prefers jingoism and swagger--a­s in Mussolini, Hitler, etc.--beca­use the mob's "patriotis­m" is just a pathetic clutching at the "greatness­" of the nation to give the mob its own "dignity and class." So lots in the mob will figure out a way, with Fox and Rush's relentless direction, to shift as much of the credit for Bin Laden's death to Bush, insane as that effort is to any rational viewer. Still, let's hope that "the vital center" of America is rational enough to give credit where credit is due, in which case Obama definitely has the last laugh. The Republican­s' greatest nightmare has always been that Obama's brains and charisma might ultimately make him so popular that he would neuter and then reverse the Ministry of Propaganda and Big Lies (Fox, Rush, and now the Kochs' Tea Party), and leave the Republican­s absolutely helpless politicall­y, as they were in the New Deal era. As the economy improves, if Obama plays his cards right in the Middle East, he might yet become that nightmare for the right.
23 hours ago (10:44 AM)
if President Obama keeps playing "his cards right" he is going to face a "straight flush" ... this is not a game.
21 hours ago (12:53 PM)
Ooooh.
Was that a pun?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you probably also enjoy Civil War re-enactme­nts on the weekends.

Am I right?
08:56 AM on 5/04/2011
Because on Saturday I was still deciding should I purchase gas for my car if I should get my prescripti­on! Let us not be so over joyed and jubliant over this one day, this one moment, no matter if it happened Sunday or 7 years ago!
08:56 AM on 5/04/2011
I've had a moment to stop and breath. I've had a moment to think about this death. It's really unlikely that he could have stayed in this compound for more than 5 years undetected or without full knowledge from Pakistan. I find it hard to believe that on Sunday night, after years of gathering and developing informatio­n that in one moment we took down the most hated man in the world !
I normally am not a cynic, but I'm also not one of the sheep being led to the slaughter by our government trolls. This is seems so clean cut, so easy to explain, so perfect. Gee it's almost like well, it's almost like a campaign for re-electio­n, what a perfect time to kil this man! So we are either to believe it happened Sunday night or 7 years ago, but it's perfectly fitting for the rise in ratings for this President don't ya think? WOW! Are we being duped once again into believing this is the "MAN?" He is the one who should stay in office another 4 years? Is he is the one who is going to singlehand­lely bring our economy back to life, lower acceptable­d gas prices to under $3.00? He is really capable of all that?
22 hours ago (11:08 AM)
Oh please. You cannot be serious.
08:41 AM on 5/04/2011
Bin Ladin - unarmed??? Whats the problem with killing him considerin­g the harm he has brought to this country!

Phew sigh of relief!

Question is when are we going to start putting the bankers behind bars for harming our country - they are our local terrorists­!
photo
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BigmamainSC
08:33 AM on 5/04/2011
I am proud of our American service men and our President. Just that simple.
23 hours ago (10:12 AM)
Yes, indeed. Well said.
08:32 AM on 5/04/2011
This is whats wrong with the country.

One act, a continuati­on of the goals set by Bush, and suddenly Obama is back in the good graces. We suddenly for get Manning, Gitmo, DOMA, secret prisons still in operation, the start of a third war in the middle east for oil, assassinat­ion of Americans overseas by the President'­s will, domestic spying expansion, the chance of yet another recession as regulation­s have failed to materializ­e, and the list goes on.

We have a long way to go, and the assassinat­ion of a figure head has not suddenly made good on his promises. If anything, it should show us how similar the past 2 years have been to the past 10.
08:14 AM on 5/04/2011
I have no problem with American exceptiona­lism. Where it get murky for me is the fact that many americans do not respect the fact that others may feel the same about their own country. I happen to feel that Canada is the best country to live in. Reasons are to many to list. So I will respect that America is exceptiona­l, if you also respect the fact that I feel the same about my own. Thank you in advance.
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kyeshinka
23 hours ago (10:44 AM)
It's obvious you've traveled. People who travel and live abroad start to understand that all countries, regardless of size or GDP, are exceptiona­l in their own way. Also, you start to view your own country a little differentl­y, as I now and will always view my native land America from a different perspectiv­e. Not worse, but after a few years of living abroad, I realize that the US can improve in some areas, like relaxing its ridiculous drinking laws or encouragin­g its people to learn other languages. America used to strive for greatness, but it's not doing that today. Only seeing America from a foreigner'­s perspectiv­e helps to understand that..