News from Around the World

The second is the idea that the United States has a "mission" or a "calling" to transform the world. During the debate over the annexation of the Philippines, Senator Albert Beveridge declared that God had "marked the American people as His chosen nation to finally lead in the redemption of the world." Richard Nixon in the 1960 campaign affirmed that "America came into the world 180 years ago not just to have freedom for ourselves, but to carry it to the whole world." And of course, George W. Bush proclaimed in April 2004 that "as the greatest power on the face of the Earth, we have an obligation to help the spread of freedom. ... That is what we have been called to do, as far as I'm concerned."