Commentary When asked in Europe in 2009 whether he believed in American exceptionalism, then-President Barack Obama said he did—in the same way that “the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks in Greek exceptionalism.” In other words, “No.” Obama’s response wasn’t just off-putting to the American people; it was also plain wrong. Today, well over 40 million people living in the United States were born elsewhere—far more than any other country in the world. There’s a reason why millions of people try to get into the U.S. illegally even as we accept a significant number of legal immigrants each year. I don’t notice anyone queuing up to get into China or Russia. It seems the immigrants of the world know something Obama doesn’t. America is a unique experiment in self-government. As Ronald Reagan said, the idea that government “is beholden to the people, that it has no other source …