In my post below I heap praise on former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich who I think gave the best GOP speech since Obama's election.  I want to focus now on an issue he raised but I  think failed to pursue as far as necessary in order to capture the high ground on the issue.

Gingrich was correct to point out that America was, can, and should be again a true melting pot.  Immigration is NOT bad.  However, immigration with no expectations of those who are seeking to come here is bad and destructive culturally in a deep way.  Therefore, let them come, but let them be Americans, not hyphenations.  Let english be the language of government affairs so that assimilation becomes a must.  That's not immoral or prejudiced, its the only way to avoid placing new immigrants in untenable situations where they lack the skills to communicate outside of their own communities thus limiting prospects for the very prosperity they came to find.

I think Gingrich's only misstep was his categorical statement that he is "not a citizen of the world", but an American citizen.

It could have been so much more powerful if he  said "As an American citizen, I am citizen of the world and I do not need to denigrate America to prove this point, because we are all Americans."  A potentially classic variation on the Kennedy "Eich bin ein Berliner" speech.

That may sound a bit radical, especially to come from a conservative, yet consider, that America is based on the idea of universal values.  As longtime readers of my blog know, I have grown skeptical of our crusading zeal in the wake of Iraq and have advocated for a neo-Kissingerian foreign policy.

I still think that is correct.  However, if, by the power of our ideas we can begin to transform minds, then a little less Kissingerianism, or Machiavellianism, might be necessary.  We don't need to impose democracy at the point of a gun, but we can become a magnet for the rest of the world to come here.

Foreign policy is about calculation and that cannot change.  However, our domestic relations can change.  We have been the greatest synthesizer of culture since Rome.  Yet, we have lost this through a blindness to the consequences of "multiculturalism" and have placed our future upon the altar of "diversity" at all costs.  We have lost an understanding of the cleavages this creates and the animosities it foments.

Unity and cultural renewal are keys to America's willingness to face down all its future challenges from terrorism to proliferation of WMDs and from renewed great power conflict to unprecedented economic competition.  American culture is the glue that binds us together to face these challenges. 

Imagine if, we could be "American" and "World" citizens.  Why do we have to make  a choice?  Shouldn't we open the door to all?  Isn't that how we were a beacon of light, a shining city on a hill?  Is there, in today's age even a choice?  Or do we face an inexorable requirement?

One key to statesmanship is to understand how to do what is necessary when necessary and face the consequences even when undesirable.  This means a resounding no to naive utopianism.  But another key is to recognize the need to prudently and cautiously move forward  taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves while looking to create new ones.  

In an age desperately needing renewal to set the stage for the future, the road forward is to have universal aspirations, while never losing sight of parochial necessities.  It is a balance of realism and idealism.  One cannot be all one or the other without coming to ruin.  Possibly we cannot be "American" citizens without being "World" citizens as well.  Should this be so, then the reverse must also be true.  One could be a citizen of any nation, but to be a citizen of the world, one must truly be "American."

If we decline or stumble, the world will suffer incalculably.  Best for us to do all we can to avoid this, but to avoid it with more than just a glint of hope and a reservoir of cynicism.  We must have a reservoir of hope, tempered by reality, but expectant of great things.

Vacuous promises of change and hope must be met with tangible promises of change and hope.  This is the message for Republicans.  Not "Change We Can Believe In", but "Hope We Can Believe In."