Americans need to think deep and hard about the unusual ice of America. We need to ponder overs—as a nation—0n Secretary Kerry's concluding remarks at the 90th anniversary celebration of the foreign service:
"We must never forget that what makes America different from other nations is not a common bloodline. It’s not a common religion or a common ideology or a common heritage. It’s actually what makes us different is actually an uncommon idea that all men are created equal and that everybody has these unalienable rights. We are an idea. Unlike other countries, we are an idea. And in our idea, every American gets to fill it out and define it over time."
If President Obama can lead the nation to grapple with the idea of America, that would be his lasting legacy.