President Obama told attendees at a Democratic National Committee event Monday that it is a “cliche” to call America the greatest country on earth.
The comments were released on the White House website and picked up by CNSNews.com.
Speaking at the New York residence of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, Mr. Obama said: “[W]e’ve got the best cards of any country on Earth — and that’s the truth. Look, there’s no American politician, much less American President, who’s not going to say that we’re not the greatest country on Earth. So that’s a cliche. On the other hand, objectively, when you look at where we are right now, we are poised for a 21st century that is as much the American century as the 20th century was.”
Mr. Obama also talked about the need to combat climate change and the obstacles that have prevented him from fully realizing his agenda.
“What’s blocking us right now is sort of hyper-partisanship in Washington that, frankly, I was hoping to overcome in 2008. And in the midst of crisis, I think the other party reacted; rather than saying now is the time for us all to join together, decided to take a different path,” he said.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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