Omnipotence.

A week into the Afghanistan campaign it was reported that we were bogged down and would suffer the same fate as the Soviets. Two weeks into the Iraq campaign supply lines were streched to the limit and we were in the midst of a quagmire. The day after hurricane Katrina blew through Louisiana reporters were standing on a freeway overpass screaming for the government to help. Dafydd at Big Lizards has identified this affliction as "Omnipotence Illusion" although delusion may me more accurate. He describes "OI" as;

The delusional idea that America is so powerful that we are literally omnipotent... thus, any result less than perfection, over a time frame longer than the length of a typical plot arc on CSI or the Sopranos, is rejected as lame and unworthy... and we must find who is to blame for America failing to be as effective as God.

Interestingly, those that are most afflicted with this condition such as Senator Reed seem to be displaying an impotence that is not reflective of this countries history or our current capabilities. At the same time they have no problem suggesting that they are omniscient and beneficent. The question then is two out of three close enough to be a God-like being.