Dean on American Exceptionalism

From last night's Hardball interview (trascript here):

MATTHEWS: . . . Do you think America, this country of ours, has a special role to play in the world? Do you believe in American exceptionalism?

DEAN: I do. I think this is the country where there is less cynicism and more hope than there are-than there is in most other countries. And I think that’s the great tragedy of the Bush administration, is, we’re losing our ability to have hope and to believe that any problem can be overcome, if you are willing to work hard enough. That is something that really is a beacon to the rest of the world. And if we lose that, the world has lost a true leader. The president has already given up our moral leadership in the world. We cannot afford four more years of this president, because moral leadership matters.

America is an exceptional place. But the Bushites want our exceptionalism to be based primarily on the fact that we can whip everyone else in a standup fight.

Dean understands that what makes America exceptional is our values, not our military might. We lead the world not just because we can beat the bad guys but because we can show the way towards a future that doesn't include those bad guys.