>> good day, wetumpka! [cheers and applause] do you guys know how to throw a party, or do you guys know how to throw a matter? [cheers and applause] it's great to be back in alabama. it is good to be back. boy, is it good to be back in alabama. [laughter] thank you so much. [applause] please, everyone, have a seat. everyone have a seat. thank you so much. i want to thank becky and eric garrettson for having me here today, and i want to thank each and every single one of you for coming here. it's great to be in a room so full of patriots. [cheers and applause] we're here at a crucial time in american history, because the truth is that we are in the fight of our lives.

>> that's right. >> america today is weaker than it has ever been. and as a result, the world is a much more dangerous place. individualism, patriotism, liberty, the unique properties of american life and culture are all at diminished levels. for the first time any of us can remember, america appears to be becoming irrelevant this world affairs -- in world affairs. but this is america. it's time to stop the pity parties and start the -- [cheers and applause] it's time to fight back. it's time to save america. it's time to believe in

breakthroughs and turn arounds and miracles. ladies and gentlemen, for as long as i can remember i've wanted to change the world. one heart at a time. i want to change history. i want to leave a lasting legacy. i want to keep america number one. i want to see an american renaissance. but i can't do it myself. i need your help to do it. this is still the country people cross oceans to get to. still the place that sees people empty their life savings to be a part of. still the nation that has people sell the shirt on their back just to feel the american winds of freedom and opportunity. still the country of the dreamer. america the great, america the beautiful. [applause]

some people are born burning for america. arnold schwarzenegger was one of them. i was the same way. god planted a dream in my heart to minister to americans. to be a modern day paul revere, another alexis de tocqueville to warn americans about the perils of the future and to explain to americans what makes them exceptional. and for the last four years over a dozen trips traveling from the other side of the world, i have miraculously carried out what i believe i was put on earth to do. and with good's hand firmly on my american ministry and -- with god's hand firmly on my american ministry and our righteous

cause, we have achieved beyond all expectations. [applause] some things that no one thought were possible. but in america, anything is possible. >> that's right. [cheers and applause] i must tell you, my american credentials were solid from the start. the first word i ever uttered, my mother tells me rather sheepishly, was coke. as in coca-cola. [laughter] the great, iconic american brand. that was my first wordment and i've had -- word. and they've had some trouble shutting me up ever since. [laughter] and with a father who looks strikingly alike to archie bunker from "all in the family" -- [laughter] and shares most of his views as

well, i suppose it was a fait accompli. and if that weren't enough, when my mother -- who is german -- first met my father in europe and heard him speaking in english, well, i guess one accent was as good as the other, and so she asked him if he was an american. [laughter] at the age of 8, i told my parents and anybody that would listen that i was going to go to america and speak to people. they thought i was nuts. [laughter] by the time i reached 10, i had revised my plans and boldly declared i'm going to go to america and become famous. they still thought i was nuts. [laughter] not much has changed. [laughter] i remember very clearly one cold, late afternoon in january 2000 standing on the westminster bridge in london with my parents. i was 15. to give you some context, our london leg had been the final stop in an extensive,

multi-country, multi-city european tour. it had cost my parents a small fortune. it had taken us from the mountains of southern germany to the breath-taking cities of venice, florence and rome to majestic paris, to the lakes of switzerland and to the villages of austria. i had seen everything from the leaning tower of pisa to the coliseum to the eiffel el -- eiffel tower to buckingham palace. it truly was the trip of a lifetime. as we stood on the bridge overlooking the magnificent palace of westminster, home to the british parliament, my father asked me, so, nick, did you enjoy your trip? without even a moment's hesitation i said, yes, dad, i did, but i really want to go to america. [laughter] now, i will never forget my father's crestfallen face.

how ungrateful i was. but i couldn't help it. i was captive to america somehow. excited by its flair, attracted by its opportunity, inspired by its story, captured by its hope. i'm often asked to explain my love for america. and it's something i struggle being able to answer. without rambling until one day it just became clear: i love america because it is confident, competitive, courageous, faithful, idealistic, innovative, inspirational, charitable and optimistic. [cheers and applause]

it is everything as a nation that i wish to be as a person. in interviews i'm often challenged to offer pity and personal answer to what american exceptionalism means to me. hard to do when you've written extensively on it. but this is my answer: it's individualism, not collectivism. >> that's right. >> it's patriotism, not relativism. it's optimism, not pessimism. [applause] it's limited government, not nanny state. [applause] god, not government. [cheers and applause]

it's faith, not secularism. it's life, not death. it's equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. it's goodness, not moral equivalence. it's being bold, not bland. brave, not meek. it's choosing extraordinary over mediocre. that's america right there. [applause] i'll tell you what else i get asked, and i'll never forget the first time it was asked of me. it was in harrisburg, pennsylvania. a hostile local television reporter was covering one of my speeches. the moment we got on camera, the ambush happened. why does an australian care about america, she funded. what do you care, she sneeed.

luckily, that wasn't my first rodeo. [laughter] i knew the game, and i knew the left. i'd spent eight years dealing with media bias and distortion in the australian media while in public office. without even blinking, i shot back, because what's good for america is good for the world. a weak america -- [cheers and applause] a weak america is a weak world. a strong america is a strong world. everyone in the world should care about and work toward america staying on top. [applause] well, that shut her up. [laughter] crickets. i don't think i got a christmas card that year. [laughter]

but, ladies and gentlemen, my friends of wetumpka, it's true. the world's fortunes travel with america. and i don't want to live in a world where america is not running the show. keeping america strong, saving it from a european future, to my mind, that's the great moral imperative of our time. [applause] i want americans to understand what is at stake for them and for people around the world if they choose to continue to drift from the virtues and values of traditional america. and i want them to realize what allowed them to become the greatest country in the world and stay there for so long. and what changed to bring them to where they are today. i don't want do this because i -- i don't do this because i i

know america better than actual americans. i don't. i couldn't possibly. but i believe i offer a unique perspective. of -- one that might be helpful. sometimes it takes someone on the outside to remind you what you are like. and i could be living your future, and i'm here to tell you about it and what you can expect should you proceed with the fundamental transformation of america. and i'll tell you what else i bring to the table, i offer truth. i introduce cold, factual reality to a discussion colored by envy and driven by agendas of those who benefit from a weak america. all you ever hear is that america is at fault. the default position has become american guilt, and it's

absolute garbage. [applause] it's rubbish, bologna, to use an american term. [laughter] the media academic corridor, my friends, have a lot to answer for. it is an absolute disgrace to have professors parading as wardens incarcerating minds and having the mainstream media carry the water for the left. [applause] intellectual integrity and moral courage must be returned to america's schools and newsrooms. [applause] and that's why i make a point of speaking at as many high schools

and colleges as possible. [applause] because we must recapture our classroom. american exceptionalism is not an accident. nor did it happen by chance. it happened because america fostered a state that allowed its citizens the wide withest last -- widest latitude for creativity and innovation. it rewarded success without government approvals and bureaucratic interference. it embraced religious faith, as ration and risk. aspiration and risk. and for those reasons, the people of america have been the most enterprising, market-oriented, individual listic and averse to taxation and regulation to have ever walked god's green earth. [applause]

and i'll tell you something else you won't hear, and i speak, i believe, for the silent international majority. america wins respect in the world when it displays who it is and not what self-appointed cultural dieticians would want it to become. [cheers and applause] i do not believe for one single, solitary second that america's best days are behind her. american decline is not inevitable. >> that's right. >> and to those that say that america should manage its decline gracefully, well, they should be told rather indelicately what they can to with their opinion. -- what they can do with their opinion. [cheers and applause]

because as they say in these parts, that dog don't hunt. [laughter] [cheers and applause] yes, america is falling behind. but only in fulfilling its own potential. take it from me, there is no other country in the world even close to america. the american model has offered and continues to offer a greater chance for dignity, hope and happiness for more people than any other system of government has offered its own. and if that weren't the case, you would not be dealing with the illegal immigration problem you have right now. [applause]

as they say about the gallant american war veterans, you're wounded but not conquered. [applause] you might not realize, but there are americans all around the world doing great things for america, doing so much to keep their country, to keep the improbable american experiment alive. i've been blessed to have been able to travel the world in my 29 years and am continually struck by american works. in december 2011 and january 2012, i spent an extended time in england and caught up with a friend from south carolina who had come to study abroad at oxford university through summit ministries. the summit oxford studies center

is a study abroad program combining the unique world view approach with the academic strengths of oxford, england. it fosters scholarship for church and culture, propelling christian students forward as leaders in their disciplines and professions. it is run by kevin and angela biwater, profoundly exceptional americans. they have five beautiful young children, and they live in a house in a tiny village just outside of ox toford. and -- oxford. and there they educate young academically-successful students in a christian and pro-american world view. i had the remarkable privilege of sitting in on a couple of the sessions and getting to know the students and bywater family and were so deeply impressed by both the intellects and patriotism evidenced that words cannot accurately convey my sentiments. i distinctly recall leaving and

thinking how many bywaters are there out there scattered all over the world, and what other country so forward thinking, so passionate about producing tomorrow's exception alleyeders that it -- exceptional leaders that it has programs running in foreign countries? in june 2011 i was invited to keynote the 4-h national sport-shooting championships' closing ceremony in san antonio, texas. in front of me were over a thousand coaches, competitors and parents representing almost every state in america. i believe 4-h has almost six million members across the country, and i had the opportunity to meet the teams of every state, pose for photographs and was amazed at their courtesy, confidence, inquisitiveness and just how articulate today all were.

they all were. the thing i remember most about that night, ladies and gentlemen, was the pledge that was recited. i pledge -- this is what the pledge said -- i pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to the better living. for my club, my community, my country and my world. what a testimony to the american tradition. [applause] just exceptional, exceptional to the bone. america might be in a lot of trouble, but it's important not to overlook its treasure. there are still tens of millions of americans that are being faithful to the america we know and we love. [applause]

the current season in america is confusion, and it's time to think seriously, deeply and searchingly. it's our job to inform, for an informed citizenry is the bulwark of democracy. i believe there is a first for mooring in america, and it has to be a belief in american exceptionalism. [applause] and the only people that can b deliver it are patriot irk forces with traditional values. [applause] how do we win this fight? how do we vanquish the forces

that make us weak? how do we restore american glory? what does america have to do to come back? here's my 15-point plan for an american renaissance. [laughter] one, exercise fidelity to the constitution, declaration of independence and founding ideals. >> amen. [applause] >> two -- two, a return to american self-belief as a force of nature. as any leader knows, you can't expect those to believe this you if you don't believe in yourself. [applause] three, a reengagement with cultural institutions. it is time for conservatives to compete for control of the cultural institutions that for the past four decades have been the seed beds of the left.

[applause] from hollywood to popular music to teaching to journal um, the days of the cultural elites playing unopposed, they're numbered. we're coming to get you. [cheers and applause] number three, ending the culture of complaint and entitlement. [applause] we need to put out the professional -- we need to put out of business the professional offense takers. [applause] their desire to intimidate us, to remove our confidence, to make us afraid to even look at somebody the right way, to make

all our visceral convictions suspect. the days of promoting grievance and envy, they're over. [applause] point four, standing up to the bullies. america cannot allow itself to continue to be bullied by the anti-bullying crusade. it's time to punch the bully in the nose! [cheers and applause] number five, an embrace of rugged individualism. rugged individualism is not an exercise in political nostalgia. of my friends, it is a genuine solution for the myriad problems facing the u.s. in the 21st century. american national character must be understood in that it is a self-made society.

the world needs america to be a country of self-reliant warriors, not pussycats. [applause] number six, a recommitment to success. if you ain't first, you're last. [applause] work harder, be the best. that's america. there is no virtue in striving for mediocrity. no american kid grows up wanting to be the vice president, and that's the way it's got to stay. [applause] desire upward mobility. upward mobility can never be replaced by downward stability. in america does that, it shrugs its way all the way to belgium.

taking a risk is virtuous. the next point, support israel always. [cheers and applause] defend israel to your last breath. it's a providential nation, and american success and purpose is linked to israel. supporting israel is an american value! [cheers and applause] limit government. nothing, nothing, my friends of wetumpka, will extinguish liberty quicker than an activist government. its goal is to turn adults into

infants and everyone into victims. [applause] there is nothing more odious or obnoxious than a government whose attitude is, don't worry, we know what's best for you. [cheers and applause] limited government is an american theme. keep it that way. we need to believe in peace through strength. the uncommon valor america has shown against the sword of tyranny must continue. weakness is provocative. conviction is the mother of success. the united states military is the greatest vehicle against evil ever, and the noblest fighting force this world has ever seen! [cheers and applause]

usa! usa! usa! usa! usa! usa! usa! [cheers and applause] >> the u.s. military must continue to be stronger than the rest of the world's militaries combined. america doesn't have to attend every argument it's invited to, but it does have a special role to play in the world as the keeper of civilization. smashing political correctness. [cheers and applause]

political correctness empowers radical islam, terror and socialism. advocates of the pc agenda are as dangerous to america as the men that offered september 11th. [applause] british prime minister margaret thatcher said it best when he said the world had never ceased to be dangerous, but that the west had ceased to be vigilant. america needs to restore character. while it may be substantially less than other places, america does have a character problem that must be arrested. it was dwight d. eisenhower that said the spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth. and always remember alexis de

tocqueville's famous line, america is great because america is good. if she ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. [applause] and on the subject of character, i urge americans to understand and defend the sanctity of human life there conception until natural death. [applause] guard your christianity closely. it is behind everything great about america whether it's neighborliness, charitable works or optimism. the more christianity eroded in europe, the poorer, less

powerful, weaker and less influential it became. >> that's right. >> john adams wasn't joking when he said that the constitution was designed for a religious and moral people and was wholly inadequate for any other. [applause] on matters of the economy, america must remain economically massive and nimble. capital and imagination must continue to combine more quickly in america than anywhere else in the world. taxes must always be low, and government should be out of the way. [cheers and applause]

don't spend money you don't have. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, that's my 15-point plan to reboot america and get it online again. [cheers and applause] we to me, america is the hope that banishes hopelessness. i want to share with you my testimony. when i was 16 months old, i was diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer. it is an extraordinarily difficult cancer to diagnose, and most children when diagnosed are already in an advanced stage where the tumor has

metastasized. when a child is diagnosed with stage iv cancer, they have a 5% chance of survival. only 1 in 20 children survive. they were the odds that were given to my parents. but we serve a great god -- [cheers and applause] and he helped me fight the strongest adversary and win. [cheers and applause] we've already won the lottery once, i overheard my dad tell my mum recently. when i was sick, this boy's a fighter, my german grandfather would say. he's got too much life in him. he's not going down. and throughout my life i've allowed myself to be strengthened and to be inspired by the opportunity of life. and it has given me a special

purpose. but let me share with you the true miracle. let me share with you how i was diagnose noticed. diagnosed. my parents took me to doctor after doctor, pediatrician after pediatrician, but no one could determine what was wrong. until one night, christmas eve 1995, i was particularly sick. and my parents had no alternative but to bring me to the emergency ward at the children's hospital. being christmas eve, the ward was next to empty. there was just one overnight doctor. and he said to my parents, i'm not sure, but i think your son has cancer, and it's in an advanced stage. and you need to get him in for tests first thing tomorrow morning. and sure enough on christmas day, 1995, my parents' worst

fears are confirmed. the doctor's hunch was right. that doctor was a young american fresh out of college just getting the australian experience. so i know american exceptionalism. i've lived it. i'm alive because of it. and i'm here to tell my story. i'm here to leave a lasting legacy. i'm here to help. in a few weeks, i head to south korea for a speaking tour. there i will attempt to plant the seeds of american appreciation in the hearts of south koreans. and ask them to consider america to be the model to which their nation should aspire. our mission is clear, we need to rescue america through consistency, dedication and faithfulness, through going back to the beginning. by keeping the traditional family unit as your greatest treasure.

by -- [applause] standing for hurt! [applause] by standing for the constitution. by having a victory mentality, not a victim mental the city. [applause] we want an america where the weak become strong and the strong become great. where you can still rise above the circumstances of your birth and achieve whatever it is that that you want to achieve. after freedom, inspiration is america's next greatest export. anything is possible. spread the word to your friends, neighbors and acquaintances, and let what starts here in wetumpka spread and spread across families, towns, counties and states. let the steady trickle turn into a stream and then a waterfall and then into an ocean. [applause]

let there be a patriotic flood that washes the pollutants and contaminants away. my friends of wetumpka, they say that life is defined by moments, that our wealth is in our memories. and i'll never forget this night until the glorious day i get the phone call from god. your nation inspires me. you inspire me. you give me a reason to live. you're everything i thought you would be and more. it is my great privilege to serve you. i believe it's better to die on your feet than live on your knees. >> amen. [cheers and applause] and i invite you to join me in this battle. help me help you, and let's

preside over the strongest, proudest and most prosperous america yet. we can do it. we must do it. we will do it! thank you, ladies and gentlemen! god bless you, and may god continue to bless these united states of america! [cheers and applause] thank you very much. thank you, i appreciate that. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. thank you. [applause] >> we'd like to hear from you. tweet us your feedback, twitter.com/booktv. >> our story begins with this failed artist and art architect,

adolf hitler, who had applied to the vienna academy of fine arts and was rejected. art became a weapon of propaganda for the nazis as he rose to power, and the story begins in may 1938 with hitler and the nazi leaders visit, first state visit to italy beginning in rome. they walked through the coliseum with mussolini accompanying them, they looked at this wonderful sculpture by canova, and after four or five days they made it to florence on their last day. they only had ten hours, but more than two were allocated to visit the great museums of florence. they walked through the quarter starting at the pity palace and then made it to the museum. hitler felt like an artist walking among artists, having a chance to see masterpieces he'd

only seen in books or had studied in galleries. he was fascinated with all of these things, and it really showed him the art of what was possible concerning his dream of building a museum in his hometown. it was going to be known as the lens museum or the fuhrer museum. he made these drawings of it and ultimately led to this scale model intending to rebuild his entire town and at the center would be this cultural mecca of the lens museum. in september 199 with nazi -- 1939 with nazi germany's invasion of poland, museums throughout europe closed. works of art were packed up and moved outside the cities out of fear of damage frommal -- from allied bombing. works at the louvre were evacuated, some 400,000 objects. the same took place at the hermitage in 1941 following the