Zany Newt and American exceptionalism

Does Newt Gingrich understand the Constitution? He loves to prattle on about it, then he comes out with awesome bits like this, wanting "radical" judges to be brought before Congress -- by U.S. Marshals, if necessary -- to answer for their decisions. I'm pretty sure that goes against one of the most basic rules of our government, that whole separation of powers thing. 

Because, after all, the definition of "radical" is "disagrees with me."

Newt is typical of many a conservative:

 “Do you want to move towards American exceptionalism, reassert the Constitution, reassert the nature of America, or do you, in fact, want to become a secular, European, sort of beaurocratic socialist society?”

I'm all for American exceptionalism -- I do believe we are a great nation. But to these folks, "American exceptionalism" means simply that we somehow shouldn't have to do things the way other normal, 21st century progressive first-world countries do.

So to answer his question, I'll, um, take a version that's closer to the second option.