Pilot rescue shows ‘American exceptionalism’ is back: Salena Zito
A Washington Examiner piece by Salena Zito argues that a wave of patriotic moments is fueling swelling pride in the United States. The focal point is the rescue of a downed pilot in Iran, praised by President Trump as an “Easter miracle” and described by zito as a very American moment, even as details emerged slowly.She frames this rescue as part of a broader pattern of American achievement-successes in sports, NASA’s Artemis II, Olympic hockey gold, and the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations-that together bolster a sense of American exceptionalism. Zito also draws historical parallels, suggesting current events rhyme with history, including Washington’s past maneuvers a couple of centuries ago. The piece notes Trump’s warnings to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and the possibility of military action if no deal is reached, while expressing guarded optimism that the US and Iran may reach an agreement, though she expects Trump to act if they do not.
US pilot rescue latest instance of ‘American exceptionalism’: Salena Zito
Washington Examiner senior columnist Salena Zito said a series of patriotic events in recent months is contributing to “swelling pride” within the United States.
The most recent event is the rescue of a downed pilot in Iran on Sunday, a mission President Donald Trump hailed as an “Easter miracle.” Zito said the details of this rescue came out “very slowly,” but it was “a very American moment.”
“And after a series of wonderful things that have happened with our country across multiple different [fields] — with in sports, with baseball, with hockey, with the Olympics, with Artemis [II], and then this happens, there was just this swelling of pride that American exceptionalism is sort of back, and we’re all in, especially on our 250th birthday,” Zito said on the Hugh Hewitt Show Monday.
The pilot’s rescue happened a few days after the launch of NASA’s Artemis II, which headed back to Earth after a historic journey around the moon on Monday. In February, the U.S. Olympic men’s and women’s hockey teams both beat Canada to win gold.
Zito also said history “certainly rhymes with itself” with this rescue mission, saying this happened around the same time President George Washington completed “one of his most sneakiest adventures” 250 years ago. She said Washington surprised the British in Boston, Massachusetts, leading to “the great evacuation” of the city.
The rescue happened on the same day Trump warned Iran to “open the f***in’ Strait,” or else the U.S. will “unleash hell.” He also set a hard deadline of 8 p.m. ET for Iran’s negotiators to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
THE EXTRAORDINARY SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION IN IRAN: ‘HUNTING FOR A SINGLE GRAIN OF SAND’
Zito said she “would like to believe” the U.S. and Iran will come to a deal, but she also thinks Trump will not hold back if no deal is reached.
Trump issued another warning on Tuesday, saying “a whole civilization will die” unless Iran’s leadership yields. The U.S. military carried out strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island Tuesday morning, hitting military targets that it had already struck, a U.S. official told the Washington Examiner.
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