Well I think its a fashonable thing to believe in and talk about these days. For some reason Americans like to hate themselves. Maybe its because on some level we feel guilty about being so successful as we drive around in our Mercedes, drinking $5 Startbucks coffee's, while half the world starves.
It is fun proving them wrong though. Oh and the French can go F themselves.
They havn't been important on the world stage since WW2.