Words and Phrases We Could Do Without

America is now dispensable and unexceptional

“Indispensable nation.”

“American exceptionalism.”

For decades, Republicans shouted those phrases from the rooftops, proclaiming America’s unique role in preserving the international world order, defending democracy, and, yes, doing good.

From JFK’s stirring inaugural address: “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty,” to Ronald Reagan’s D Day address: “Our alliance, forged in the crucible of war, tempered and shaped by the realities of the postwar world, has succeeded. In Europe, the threat has been contained, the peace has been kept”—presidents have underscored the collaborative nature of our democracy as a source of pride and inspiration. But the resounding message we get from Donald Trump is: You’re all on your own!

Now Brazil, not the U.S., is the model to hold insurrectionists accountable. Denmark, not the U.S., articulates the mission of NATO. (“Stick together with Europe, because even though you can be frustrated with Europe, and we can have disagreements, it’s nothing compared to those with Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China.”) And it’s the United Nations, not the U.S., that may need to stick with the fight to hold Russia accountable for war crimes. Reagan, among others, must be spinning in his grave with Brazil, Denmark, and the U.N. picking up the slack from America.