Arrogance and the GOP

An excellent summation of one of the most basic problems with the Republican and neocon way of thinking, as posted by Ta-Nehisi Coates of the Atlantic:

The religious right isn't what's wrong with the GOP. It's the pervasive, unthinking, unreflective nationalism. It's the arrogance of thrice-divorced adulterers reaching for the banner of traditional families, and it's the arrogance of men who prosecuted a poorly planned war, on weak intelligence, presuming to lecture us on national security.

The problem is arrogance born out of an unwavering belief in American exceptionalism, or perfection. I am not questioning that the American experience holds more hope than most of the alternatives that man has created on this planet. However, to claim, in the words of Liz Cheney, that "America is the best nation that ever existed in history, and clearly that exists today" strains credulity.