Bill Maher gets applause when he calls Americans stupid...

It's always amazed me that viewers applaud Bill Maher when he calls Americans stupid.  It's true that people that agree with Bill are more likely to understand the issues he's talking about.  And it's a great marketing tactic to distinguish "Bill Maher viewers" as smarter than the rest.  Makes them feel in on the joke.  Makes them want to tune in.

The problem is, he rarely clearly delineates which Americans he's calling stupid. Republicans most times but he's critical of every group standing proud on sand.  So, which ones are the stupid ones?

Obama: beats up on allies, whimpers to dictators.

If you weren't up to speed on US foreign relations, one could mistake these people for enemies of the USA:

Stephen Harper	Benjamin Netanyahu	Angela Merkel

Obama is insensitive to their countries' aspirations and need for fair treatment.  He is willing to stand on principle, or not, and disappoint allies because he knows he can. With future consequences that may or may not happen within his presidency, the likelihood of blowback is not clear. The damage from blowback is seen as less harmful?


Instead, one might think these were his key allies and trading partners.

Vladimir Putin	Ali Khamenei	Xi Jinping

Obama has shown more diplomacy and more listening for these enemies of US interests, or least competitors on the global stage,  to pursue an isolationist agenda that includes cow-towing and dithering despite a mandate to apply those same principles he imposes on allies. With future consequences that are more likely and indeed far more consequential this damage might be catastrophic.  

Do the ends justify the means?  Is this diplomacy by damage control?

America: The Schizophrenic Empire - Expansionist / Isolationist

Text from President Obama's speech:

"
America, for all that we’ve endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this:

The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.
At this moment – with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production – we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It’s now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.
Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?

Will we approach the world fearful and reactive, dragged into costly conflicts that strain our military and set back our standing? Or will we lead wisely, using all elements of our power to defeat new threats and protect our planet?
Will we allow ourselves to be sorted into factions and turned against one another – or will we recapture the sense of common purpose that has always propelled America forward?

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/full-speech-barack-obama-s-state-of-the-union-address-1.2198275#ixzz3PYTEm5kg"

"

America's state, if I could summarize it as a state space system, oscillates between the two extreme conditions:  Expansionist, then isolationist.

It takes on the demeanor of an empire, pushing troops around and propping up friendly causes up to some theoretical and unseen limit.  Perhaps economic limit. They motivate other peoples to join it and move towards a common cause.

Then, as if by chance, it oscillates back to the other extreme and pulls away: disengages and avoids the very same provocations that caused wars only years earlier.  This leaves allies out in the cold, perhaps at the most inconvenient timing.

The behavior is predictable, but the timing is not.  This schizophrenia gives America's allies great confusion and concern. It is a reason why they can't seem to get ahead for all the blood, and treasure they spill.

America: The Schizophrenic Empire

Gwynne Dyer  once described the United States of America (USA) as "The Schizophrenic Empire".

For those trying to understand what the USA looks like to the rest of the world this is a very insightful comment.

Bill Maher called his country imperial last week on Real Time with Bill Maher.  He's pretty honest about everything.  How many Americans think they have an empire?

As a nation, it both denies it wants to interfere with others, yet has more bases worldwide than all other countries together.  It denies it has imperial inclinations, but it gets sucked into every regional dispute.   It promotes the cause of peace, yet Department of Defense spends more on its military than the next 8 countries combined:

It has a policy that changes every four years, or every two years, or every time it is politically expedient to do so.  Getting the picture?

So the black box analysis of what the USA thinks, says, and does becomes less about what their long-term philosophical beliefs are but which USA are we talking to at this moment? And which personality will be around for the foreseeable future?