actually mcruran north america was at the center of the the world's attention just twice.
when a bunch of guys declared "when in the course of human events, it becomes necessary... " in 1776.
and when a guy very far away said "that's one small step for a man..." in 1968.
everything else was just "faits-divers" really, as we usually say in europe 
I didn't write "it gives us Americans a chance to
have our country not at the center of attention", I wrote "it gives us Americans a chance to
feel that our country is not at the center of attention"!
