Not that I don't love my country and think that it probably is the best country in the world, but it seems that the American government uses this
rationale to push through recent agendas and past horrible actions (the extermination of Native Americans and takeover of their land; the annexation
of Texas and war with Mexico; war against the Philippines; U.S. involvement in coups in Latin America; bloody efforts to expand U.S. influence in the
Middle East, Africa and Asia).
This is a really good video of Howard Zinn giving a lecture explaining this point: Link
It takes a really stupid person to believe they are somehow exceptional. Unfortunately TPTB tend to push this idea through mass media, as it helps in
getting the people to war with other people if they think they are better than them. It's an old trick, one of many in the elitist psychopaths
arsenal.
Even intelligent people fall for it when it's constantly repeated over the airwaves.