Former Kansas congressman, CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised American exceptionalism as he reflected on his career in delivering the keynote address at a gala celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Kansas Policy Institute. The Sentinel is a subsidiary of KPI.
Pompeo on his Wichita roots
“This is a special place in America. And I remind people, I’ll meet people from all across the world, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, I’ve been to America many times,’ and I go, Where have you been? (they’ll say) ‘I go to New York, Washington, Miami, San Francisco.’ (I say)You haven’t been to America yet. And we believe that, Susan and I deeply believe that. “
On America’s greatest asset
“You know, if you ask what the greatest asset of the United States of America is, some might think it’s our military. They’re really good. I got to see that up close and personal. Got to watch them perform amazing acts of military power. They’re important. I got to see the most amazing businesses in the world. As a Secretary of State, you should know that the military matters to deliver your mission, to have the leverage to be a successful diplomat. America’s military matters an awful lot. There’s no doubt about that.
“But the reality is, those who were delivering good commercial outcomes growing the American economy were the most powerful tool. They wanted to see the Secretary of State of the United States of America. These leaders didn’t want to see Mike. And the thing they asked for most office was you all; access to American technology, access to American innovation, access to American universities, and schools. Access to American energy, all of the things that we deliver here in a way that no other nation can deliver turned out to be the most important tools for the 70th secretary of state.”
On the greatest threat to America
“If you ask me how is it that our empire ends? How this republic falls? It’s not because of the Chinese Communist Party’s space program, and it’s not because Vladimir Putin is evil, both true. I spent a lot of time with Chairman Kim, the North Korean leader. I spent like 12 hours with him. I can never get that time back! But the real risk isn’t from those things. It’s that we forget how damn lucky we are to be Americans. We forget that the blessings that Ty (Sen. Masterson) and James (KPI President Franco) and Dave (KPI CEO Trabert) were just talking about of our 250 years, we forget that the things that our founders left us actually do matter. That we are fundamentally different than any other nation in the world. Even the other democracies don’t have the things that we have. And the founding, the history, and the tradition, and the power that flows from our confidence in ourselves.
“So when I get worried, it’s when we, as a nation, come to forget to know we actually are different. Or worse yet, we actually come to behave in a way that doesn’t justify that continued belief in American exceptionalism. So as you watch leaders, too many of them, even from the party, of which I am a member, behave in ways that are inconsistent with that. We should be sure that we don’t defend that ill behavior by saying, ‘Well, they did it, too.’ And I’ve seen this, by the way, you may find video of me doing it. If you do send it to me, I’ll apologize. I tried to avoid it. But when somebody talks about Hunter Biden and says, ‘Boy, he was corrupt’, and then watches something that happens where there is a slush fund being created in this administration, and the defense is, ‘well, they did it, too.’ KPI and you all should aim higher than that. We have to be better. When we talk about President Biden or President Obama expanding government, and then our government ends up, each of you end up owning a piece of Intel, right? That’s not our model. And the defense shouldn’t be, well, you know, they did it.
“No, we should aim for the things that the KPI leadership is trying to work on, right? Smaller government, not bigger, less intervention, not government ownership. We should make sure that the conservative movement doesn’t forget why it is that. I, and you, are counting on it to deliver the next 250 years. We should not defend ourselves by saying, ‘well, they did it first,’ but rather, we’re gonna do it differently, and we’re gonna do it right, and we’re gonna do it in a way that is consistent with our nation’s founding. We can, and we must. And I’m counting on you all to do this.”
Conclusion
“When I look out tonight at the assembled gathering, I realize that it could have been any one of you that had had this incredible privilege. I’d never met Donald Trump before I interviewed with him. By the way, another great story! It could be any one of you that someday ends up in a place where you have a very difficult task in front of you. I pray that when you get that task, whether it’s to sign a new contract, build a new business, teach somebody Sunday school, help your grandchildren, whatever it may be, that you’ll think about, the people who are in this room tonight. And remember that they, too, care deeply about the same things you care about; their love of country, their love of freedom, freedom for our nation’s property rights, all the things that we know, the rule of law, that these things matter, and they are right, and they are proper, and they are decent, and they are worth defending and working hard to achieve.”
