It only seems retarded if you think they still care about the selling points of the US brand. The truth is they don’t care about the US brand, as it has already served its purpose. They(those pulling the strings of the marionette that is the US government) now believe their power is so great they can act brazenly and with impunity, regardless of its impact on the US brand. It’s possible they believe their power is now so great that the USA as an ideal is a challenge to such power, and so its destruction is part of the solution that consolidates their power and achieves their ultimate goal of world governance and indisputable control.