(NYTIMES) - Sometimes a comedian cuts through foreign policy issues better than any diplomat. Bill Maher did that the other week with an epic rant on US-China relations, nailing the most troubling contrast between the two countries: China can still get big things done. America, not so much.

For many of our political leaders, governing has become sports, entertainment or just mindless tribal warfare. No wonder China's leaders see us as a nation in imperial decline, living off the leftover fumes of American "exceptionalism". I wish I could say they were all wrong.