Is America the greatest country in the world?

That's milt, Alie!

Romney doesn't ring true with me. If he has any redeeming characteristics, I'm missing them in spectacular fashion. For sanities sake, Obama surely has to be re-elected.

sorry, alie are you being rude about Romney or am I missing something?

Not an amphibian (Newt) but fish sperm.....

Where on earth does the republican party find specimens like Romney. Is he real? Is he a cyborg?

I really hope Obama gets re-elected, but more importantly, if he does, then it is imperative he gets a majority in both houses - otherwise, he'll be blocked again and again with any reforms he wishes to make that the republicans don't like - just as he was with a lot of the Health reform Bill.
Like you, joan, if Romney succeeds then I really will worry.

Yes, the the powerful business cartels and religious right will still hold strong cards if Obama wins, but at least (I hope) it will continue to keep the baying crazies at arms length. For how long though??

I don"t think America is the greatest country in the world , but we dooo find it a vast interesting place , also do like the people , probably why we go there so much

That's how Americans often do their protests - through drama. I remember watching their medical drama programs years ago, and the Doctor characters would get sometimes upset about sending people home to die, who had no insurance or insufficient insurance.

I watched that clip - it is great - loved it. Jeff Daniels did a good job, and I bet if he wasn't a liberal before, he will be one after learning those lines!! Those stats were horrifying though, making it all much worse than I ever imagined.

If they elect that Romney character in November then I will give up all hope about a better future for America. If they re-elect Obama and a democratic majority in both houses then they should do OK. Mega business will still work against them though, and the political far right....

I'd like to see HBO's 'Newsroom' drama. From what I understand, it's addressing how the US media promotes and continues to encourage a belief in the ideology of a country that, in reality, no longer exists, and how one rouge newsman goes bonkers trying to change 'the system'. A modern tale for modern times.

Well yes probably he was absent but the evidence in the Lockerbie trial was extremely flimsy to say the least.
It is difficult to know where to draw the line in believing the truth when there is the CIA involved and also the US propaganda machine, that is on a mission to get the population of the US and the rest of the world, to believe that that they are justified in their military spending and military actions. No to mention covert actions and their economic treatment of Cuba.
Some people believe this machinery is behind everything bad that happens and I think they are probably taking it too far. But the track record of dirty dealings is pretty horrendous.

I think American nationalism became more sharply focused, tipping over into extreme arrogance, with the joining together of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeldt, Paul Wolfowitz and other neo-conservatives and their theory about and plan for "The New American Century". The plan has fallen apart, the VP and former political secretaries have moved on to other things, but the belief that America is the greatest country in the world remains for many Americans, together with a sense of bewilderment that the rest of the world fails to acknowledge this.

JessM True about Back to the Future but it should be noted that Gaddafi was a serious supporter of terrorists (including the IRA) and that most of the victims of the Lockerbie bomb were Americans, so maybe it's not that unreasonable.

No. Absolutely not.

I think it's just the weirdest.

Politics aside, I love visiting the USA. It's such a vast country, it's like asking whether Europe or China is the greatest continent or country in the world. They are all fascinating in their own way. Obama is one of the best presidents they've had - I hope he is re-elected.

I enjoy reading conspiracy theories. I don't think that Americans could or would mastermind such an elaborate attack on the Pentagon and Twin Towers. They certainly came off worse.

The balance of power is shifting now and I doubt whether the USA will be the major power it is in the future.

Not a very grown up country.
Agree - nice post vq - don't for get Libya! Tiny it might be but who were the baddies in Back to the Future?

Excellent post, VQ! Some people believe that the whole terrorism scare was manufactured, or at least exaggerated, to allow the arms industry to make even more money. My father believed that about WW1.
Many Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was part of some Islamic plot, when of course he was a secular leader and very much hated by radical muslims. But then, many of them believe that Obama is a muslim and also confused him with Osama Bin Laden. The greatest country in the world? Hm, not the brightest!

Americans are brought up to believe it. They see themselves as the police force of the world because we're all to weak/leftie to do it for ourselves.

When the Twin Towers were attacked terrorism came knocking on their door. Suddenly it was an issue. They totally forgot about the terrorism that they tacitly supported by allowing their citizens to legally support the IRA through Noraid.

Horrible as it was they reacted with a knee jerk reaction that has helped push us into the very dangerous situation that we live in today. They responded with a sledgehammer. Then to cover themselves they blamed Iraq even though there was no evidence that Iraq supported the terrorism but it suited their purposes. America thrives when it has an enemy and Saddam fitted the bill. It was irrelevant that they'd put him in power in the first place.

The powers that be realised during WWI that by keeping it's people on edge about an enemy they fail to notice what is happening in their own country. To that end since 1914 America has always had an enemy. Germany, Russia, Germany, Japan, Russia, China, North Korea, North Vietnam, Russia, Iraq and now Iran. The great thing this time is that there is also an overarching enemy in the shape of Al Queda.

If the people didn't have an enemy they might notice the poverty and inequality on their doorstep. They might notice that they don't live in a fair society where everyone has the chance to achieve. They might notice that the rich are getting richer and the poor at getting poorer. They might start to ask their politicians some very awkward questions.

Sorry I'm on my soapbox. The question was 'Is America the greatest country in the world'. Well it's the strongest, the richest but definately not the greatest.

Who on earth was that?

A lot of Americans have very strange beliefs!

I suspect a lot of Americans believe it.

Most powerful country, maybe richest country but greatest would be dependent on on each persons values!

That was interesting and, certainly some of it was true. However, I don't think America has ever been the greatest country in the world. I'm not sure that such a thing could really exist as it would have to fulfil so many criteria. What a truly dumb question to ask.