Leadership Quote by Marty Meehan

“It is never too late” is classic political triage: it admits damage without naming culprits, and it offers hope without specifying the bill. Marty Meehan’s line is calibrated for a moment when America’s standing feels bruised - by war, unilateralism, torture scandals, broken promises, or simple overreach - yet the speaker doesn’t want to litigate the past on-camera. The word “regain” quietly concedes something was lost; “credibility” narrows the loss to trustworthiness rather than raw power, implying the real deficit isn’t tanks or trade but believability.

Meehan’s intent is restorative and strategic. “Credibility around the world” isn’t a kumbaya plea for global affection; it’s a claim about leverage. When allies doubt you, coalitions fray, deterrence weakens, diplomacy costs more, and even humanitarian appeals sound like marketing. By framing repair as always possible, he rejects the fatalism that often follows foreign-policy failure: the idea that reputation, once tarnished, is permanent.

The subtext is also domestic. “Around the world” gives moral weight, but the audience is home. It reassures voters that humility isn’t surrender; it’s an asset. The line positions credibility as something a nation can choose through conduct: honoring treaties, aligning rhetoric with action, accepting oversight, and showing consistency over theatrics. That’s why it works: it converts an abstract shame - “we’ve been embarrassed” - into a practical agenda - “we can be trusted again” - without forcing listeners to confess exactly how we became untrustworthy.