TALKING THE TALK - AT 7:46 P.M. ET:  President Obama has given an interview to the viscerally anti-American BBC.  He talks the talk about democracy:

...in his first interview with a UK broadcaster, he said the rule of law, democracy and freedoms of speech and religion were "universal values."
"These are values that are important, even when it's hard," he said.

The president will be in the Mideast this week and will deliver a major address to the Muslim world, from Egypt, on Thursday:

Mr Obama told BBC North America Editor Justin Webb that he wanted to deliver the message "that democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion ... are not simply principles of the West to be hoisted on these countries."

So far, so good, but then comes the escape clause:

"The danger, I think, is when the United States, or any country, thinks that we can simply impose these values on another country with a different history and a different culture," he said.

He's drunk the leftist Kool-Aid.  Out comes the "culture" excuse.  But if democracy is a "universal value," how can anyone give "culture" as an excuse for not having it?

Also, how does one "impose" freedom?  Do we say, "You're free...or else"?

This is the old "Who are we to impose our values?" game that you hear in the leftist salons of Washington and Manhattan, and, of course, in our less-than-splendid universities.  It is an excuse for "respecting" other cultures, and doing nothing.

But he said that the most important thing for the US was to "serve as a role model."

"That's why, for example, closing Guantanamo from my perspective is as difficult as it is important....

"Part of what we want to affirm to the world is that these are values that are important even when it's hard, maybe especially when it's hard and not just when it's easy."

He got that line from Jack Kennedy, who often liked to say that we do something because it's hard, not because it's easy.  No attribution, of course.

And he always manages to shift the discussion back to the alleged sins of the United States, another part of the "Who are we...?" routine.

However, here's some potential good news:

But Mr Obama is not apologising for the actions of the Bush White House, our correspondent adds.

Well, there's some progress.  Maybe Obama's gotten the message that Americans don't like the Bush-bashing.

COMMENT:  The president speaks good words about democracy, but his administration has been awfully short on action or commitment.  He will deliver his speech to Muslims from a dictatorship.  Will he say anything about that? 

More democracies have been established on America's watch than at any time in human history.  We hope the president is aware of that, and sensitive to what his own country has contributed.  He might begin his awareness by ending the automatic condemnation of America's actions.

By the way, the BBC piece is entitled "Obama Gives Pledge on US 'Values.'"  The word "values" is put in quotes, as if there's some doubt that we have any.

June 1, 2009