“Viewpoint” host Eliot Spitzer talks to Academy Award–winning director Oliver Stone about “The Untold History of the United States,” a book Stone co-wrote with Peter Kuznick that is the basis of a series on Showtime.
Kuznick argues that although President Obama initially tried to qualify the notion that America is ‘exceptional’ — and therefore better than the rest of the world — the president has since changed his tune. “If you looked at (Obama’s) rhetoric, it’s become more and more ‘American exceptionalism.’ He’s bought into it. Once you criticize it, he got attacked from the right wing pretty viciously.”
Stone sees historical precedent for American exceptionalism and questions our recent military efforts. “Iraq and Afghanistan were two setbacks — those of us who are sane might say that,” Stone says. “But it’s shown us the limits of military adventurism, and Obama — much to his credit — has not sent American troops to Syria.”
