US Policeman

I personally think that America's greatest role is to be the best country it can possibly be for itself, consistent with its own history and its own values -- and that is a country that offers opportunities to anyone that works hard, and that watches over with care people who don't have the capacity to fend for themselves, and that is creative and rewards talent, rewards the book, but still with a profound sense of Republican ideals, where everyone has equal political standing in the society. It's a place of opportunity in dreams, and if we were to do that and not lecture everybody in the world that it is what they ought to do but instead really make it happen for ourselves, that would be the greatest thing America can do.

America should give fewer lectures and spend more time fixing its own problems. It is my personal view. I travel extensively, and one thing I've heard absolutely in every conversation with any foreigner, at some point in the conversation they will say, "We couldn't believe that you would elect a black man." And that's where America is genuinely inspirational -- when it does things that no other society could ever accomplish. And rather than us talking all the time about how wonderful we are, and what a great model we have, and how that's the only way to be successful, we have got so many problems, so let us just fix them, and then I think we will inspire people.

Now, we have one extra burden, and that is no one else in the world can or wants to be the agent that manages the international system. It is not unlike markets: Somebody has to be the market-maker; somebody has to be able to manage the market, step in and buy things when there's no demand, keep the market moving. The analogue of that is somebody has to keep the international system working. Now we designed it. It is in our interest to do this, but it's also burdensome, and a lot of Americans don't like to carry the burden of that… So it's in our interest to do it, but it is sometimes