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Published January 27, 2017
This is a rush transcript from "The Five," August 24, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: So in the British paper "The Independent," writer Owen Jones has a piece titled "Getting Rid of George W. Bush Wasn't Enough. The U.S. Remains a Bully." You can spell the petuli wafting from the pages.
To Jones, it doesn't matter who is president. The issue is U.S. power. He rejoices that, quote, "With the last remaining superpower at its weakest since World War II, there is un-missable opening to argue for a more equal and just world order, restricting the ability of great powers to throw their weight around." In teacher lounge speak, that's death to America.
So, the lesson in a world where creeps hate our achievement, appeasement makes them hate you more. And this is where anti-exceptionalism leads to us to preying jackals like Jones who really just reflects the same anti-Americanism found here among the typical occupier or the clown of Soros-funded blogs. That's the scary part. You get the feeling he could have written an Obama stump speech back in 2007.
But sensible folks must realize that a powerful America will be the enemy of the left and the only way for America to remain awesome is to assume our awesomeness and stop apologizing, because America will be embraced when defeated. And that embrace will not be warm. The last thing we can expect is shone the mercy or appreciation that the left insists we show our enemies.
For libs, that's the true American exceptionalism, we are and always will be at the best at being bad.
So, Juan, do you think Obama figured out exceptionalism is exceptional idea?
JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: You know, you're so smart that it's hard for me sometimes -- I have to like cogitate to figure it out, Greg.
GUTFELD: I don't even know what I'm saying, Juan.
WILLIAMS: So, it was a trap. It was a Dana-inspired attack. It was scurrilous.
GUTFELD: Less scurrilous. It was hamster-like in its deviousness.
ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: You what's funny about this? That the occupier in chief, the aka the Nobel Peace Prize winner uses the most drones, has a kill list. It must drive people like this crazy. They don't know where to go with it.
WILLIAMS: That's what he said. That was the argument in the piece.
BOLLING: I understand that. But the Nobel Peace prize winner is doing things that may be seen by guys like Chris Hayes as bullying and bad.
WILLIAMS: Just it's driving you crazy. I think it's driving you crazy that President Obama --
BOLLING: I think it's fantastic.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: He is strong on national security and the American people in this election taken national security away from the Republicans.
BOLLING: He's got a kill list.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Democratic issue.
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: Foreign policy -- you could take on foreign policy one-by-one and argue quite effectively as Rick, a friend of ours writes in Esquire magazine today, let's take Syria for example. Leading from behind, which started, which was not afraid that any of -- not a phrase that we came up with. The own administration came up with leading from behind in Libya, Egypt, now to Syria. Now, I would rather be feared than liked. Well, not in my --
GUTFELD: Don't worry about that problem.
PERINO: Are you scared of me?
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: Good.
WILLIAMS: I think Mr. Qaddafi is pretty scared of us. I think Saddam Hussein is scared of us. I don't think anyone thinks we're a bunch of punks. I don't know where this idea comes from.
ANDREA TANTAROS, CO-HOST: I think it's better to be respected. When Owens goes back to school and finishes the ninth grade --
PERINO: Yes, no kidding.
TANTAROS: -- maybe he can take history class again. And learn about names like Hitler, Mussolini, all evil dictators that the United States helped defeat. They didn't just help defeat them. They went back and they helped rebuild Europe and they trade with Europe.
Now look at Germany. It has one of the most strong economies in Europe. They are keeping the rest of Europe afloat.
So, without the United States being stronger, being on some level a cop, this country would never --
WILLIAMS: Let me stir the pot. Let me stir the pot. Let me get the red in your cheeks as well as your beautiful dress.
TANTAROS: Flattery will get you nowhere.
WILLIAMS: It will get me everywhere. But let me just say, the fact is we have a military that is vastly superior when we take action, we do dictate the terms of the agreement or deals, and you know what?
BOLLING: That's bad?
WILLIAMS: It's not good if people resent us. If we're in fact generating resentment to lead to terrorists and enemies of the United States.
BOLLING: I resent that you can say that, one side of your mouth.
Then when people around the world need help, where do they go? They come here for help. Help us out. Help us feed.
Haiti has an earthquake, storm, an earthquake, help us feed them.
There are starving people around the world and they ask us for help. We have other people encroaching. Kuwait had Iraq encroaching on us to help us out.
They asked us for help. But you're telling me when it's a military power and might, it's a bad thing?
WILLIAMS: When it's military and might that's being used to simply project our power and self-interest. That is why --
GUTFELD: I don't think we do that.
PERINO: Who does that?
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: We certainly have a record of power -- we have supported dictators and people who are authoritarian leaders for ourselves. I like -- let me say this to Dana. I know -- excuse me. I just apologize.
But to Dana, that you know what? I'm a fan of President Bush on the idea of promoting freedom and democracy. I know a lot of people say, oh, yes, but look at who the people elect. But I think it's the right thing.
The vast military power, I'm cool with that.
PERINO: The best thing that America could do for the world is to grow our economy again. Strong America, strong economic power as well as a military power is critically important. And these guys are like the environmental movement. Republicans also chase the green vote. It's like try to work with them on the climate change and nothing will ever be enough, because it's their cause.
So like this kid that writes this thing. Nothing America ever does will be enough. So we might as well just be the strongest and the best.
GUTFELD: That's the point.
PERINO: Thank you.
TANTAROS: And to your point -- that's why the deficit and debt is the number one most important issue. But, real quickly, Juan, what I was trying to get in, President Obama has called for Mubarak to step down. And he did step down. And now we have the Muslim Brotherhood who has taken over in Egypt and now they're slaughtering Christians. You don't hear anything about that.
So I don't think you can hail President Obama as a brilliant foreign leader strong on foreign policy.
WILLIAMS: Now, but I think we had to support the Arab spring and I think we have to support --
TANTAROS: Why didn't he support the Iranians?
WILLIAMS: Oh, come on, you think we're not supporting them?
TANTAROS: He didn't.
WILLIAMS: We are supporting.
Well, let me just say, one final thing there are polls about level of resentments towards the United States worldwide, there's just not a whole lot of it to support these kid's thesis. You know where there is resentment, Russia and China, because they are competing and jealous of our power. That's very telling.
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