Superman defects

So Superman is poised to renounce his American citizenship. He’s apparently tired of being taken as an expression of U.S. policies. He is reported to believe that he has been thinking “too small,” that he should not limit himself to a “purely national identity.” The official renunciation is planned in an appearance at the United Nations. Superman’s disaffection was apparently triggered by complaints in the White House that his support for the opposition in Iran was misconstrued as American policy. He need not have worried that the Iranian opposition would confuse him with President Obama–who continues to harbor the illusion that he will succeed in “engaging” the Iranian dictatorship and must, therefore, tread gingerly in all dealings with it. But its not surprising that the White House would distance itself from anyone going to Teheran to encourage the opposition. That the Administration thought it could dress down Superman with impunity proves that it doesn’t understand how far it has fallen since the heady days of 2008, long before the desire for change was upended by the “change” that actually ensued.
But if Superman is now to become an expression of some “international” identity in place of his American one, he won’t be rushing to Tehran anytime soon. And if he delays his announcement at the U.N. by just a few days he can be there to witness Syria’s election to the Human Rights Council. It’s anyone’s guess where he’ll go from there.