Thomas Friedman wrote a spoof cable from the Chinese Embassy back to Peking; it would be hilarious if it weren't so sadly true. You can find it at "From WikiChina", New York Times, 2010-12-01.
I've always found "exceptionalism" a bit arrogant. It's kind of grade-schoolish; "my whatever is better than your whatever!" Does it really matter? Can't our whatevers be our whatevers without having to be better than somebody else's?
See "I Live in the Best House in the World".
