What Obama Told Us At West PointPaul Craig Roberts I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it is our willingness to affirm them through our actions. Actions indeed. In the 21st century American exceptionalism has destroyed seven countries in whole or in part. Millions of people are dead, maimed, and displaced, and all of this criminal destruction is evidence of Washingtons reaffirmation of international norms and the rule of law. Destruction and murder are merely collateral damage from Washingtons affirmation of international norms. American exceptionalism also means that US presidents can lie through their teeth and misrepresent those they choose to demonize. Listen to Obamas misrepresentations of the Putin and Assad governments: Russias aggression towards former Soviet states unnerves capitals in Europe . . . In Ukraine, Russias recent actions recall the days when Soviet tanks rolled into Eastern Europe . Obama misrepresents Assad as a dictator who bombs and starves his own people. Did any of the cadets in Obamas West Point audience wonder why, if Assad is a brutal dictator who bombs and starves his own people, the Syrian people are supporting Assad instead of the American-backed liberation forces, the combination of imported jihadists and al Qaeda fighters who object to Assads government because it is secular? The US military is taught to respect its civilian commander-in-chief, but if West Point cadets actually do obtain an education, it is remarkable that Obamas audience did not break out in laughter. Obama used the image of Soviet tanks in order to color Russia with the Soviet Threat, to mischaracterize Russias response to the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia, and to misrepresent Crimeas vote in favor of reunification with Russia as Russias invasion and annexation of Crimea. These lies are still a mainstay in the US media and in Washingtons official propaganda. Obamas speech is probably the most disingenuous ever given by a Western politician. We could have fun for hours with all the crimes that Washington commits but buries in rhetoric directed at others. Another favorite is the way Obama flushed the US Constitution of its meaning. Obama said, with reference to bringing the Guantanamo prisoners to the US, that American values and legal traditions dont permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders. No, Obama, the US Constitution prevents the indefinite detention of US citizens by the US government anywhere on earth, especially within our borders. By detaining and by murdering US citizens without due process of law, Obama has violated his oath of office and should be impeached. It was only a short time ago that President Bill Clinton was impeached by the US House of Representatives (the Senate saved him from conviction) for lying about his sexual affair with a White House intern. How times change. Today a president who violates his oath of office to protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic gets a free ride. The Constitution has lost its power to protect citizens from the arbitrary power of government. The US is the Constitution. Without the Constitution the US ceases to exist, and the country becomes a tyranny, both at home and abroad.Today the US is a tyranny cloaked in the garb of freedom and democracy. Instead of laughing our way through Obamas ridiculous speech to what apparently was a dumbed-down West Point graduating class, lets pay attention to Obamas bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage. . . . The military is, and always will be, the backbone of that leadership. In other words, Washington doesnt use diplomacy. Washington uses coercion. The favorite threat is: Do as you are told or we will bomb you into the Stone Age. Obamas speech is a justification of Washingtons criminal actions on the grounds that Washington acts for the exceptional Americans whose exceptionalism places them and, thereby, their government above law and international norms. In this way of thinking, only the failure to prevail constitutes failure. Americans are the new ubermensch, the new master race. Inferior humans can be bombed, invaded, and sanctioned. Obamas West Point speech asserts American superiority over all others and Washingtons determination to continue this superiority by preventing the rise of other powers. This arrogant hubris was not enough for the Washington Post editorial board. The newspapers editorial damned Obama for binding US power and limiting its use to a narrow set of core interest, such as direct threats to America. The American liberal media object that Obamas claim of exceptionalism is not broad enough for Washingtons purposes. Obamas address, the Washington Post wrote, bound US power and offered scant comfort to those militarists who want to overthrow Syria, Iran, Russia, and China. The world should take note that the most militarily aggressive American president in history is considered a wimp by the neoconized American media. The media drives wars, and the American media, firmly allied with the military/security complex, is driving the world to the final war. Jointly published with the Strategic Culture Foundation. This article first appeared at Paul Craig Roberts website Institute For Political Economy. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His Internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. 