Let me comment on that. I’m not so sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say this is the way it’s got to be. We can help. And maybe it’s just our difference in government, the way we view government. I want to empower the people. I want to help people help themselves, not have government tell people what to do.

I just don’t think it’s the role of the United States to walk into a country and say, we do it this way, so should you. I think we can help. I know we’ve got to encourage democracy in the marketplaces. … So I’m not exactly sure where the vice president [Al Gore] is coming from, but I think one way for us to end up being viewed as the ugly American is for us to go around the world saying, we do it this way, so should you.

Now, we trust freedom. We know freedom is a powerful, powerful, powerful force, much bigger than the United States of America, as we saw recently in the Balkans. But maybe I misunderstand where you’re coming from, Mr. Vice President, but I think the United States must be humble and must be proud and confident of our values, but humble in how we treat nations that are figuring out how to chart their own course.

–George W. Bush, 2000 Presidential Debate

It’s a shame he went on to win the election and then didn’t bother to abide, at all, to the above statement. The world would be a much better place — the US would be a much better place — had he either not been lying when he said this or not forgotten he said it.