The US compensates its bad education system by attracting external talent through other factors ? Yeah, I agree with that. But saying "we need not to be scared into trying to be like other countries" is a recipe for disaster on the long term. Because it works until some other country becomes more attractive than the US (not likely right now, but it's imaginable). And, if anything, having a good education system will give you more talent. There's no way it will give you less, since people aren't coming for the education anyway.
The immigrants aren't coming for the middle and high school education, they are coming for college/graduate level education, which is top-notch in the US, atleast in the best schools.
Combine with that the multiplier effect of significantly better economic opportunities post-college, and its clear why immigrants are willing to jump through hoops (one of the worst immigration systems) to come to the US.
The US compensates its bad education system by attracting external talent through other factors ? Yeah, I agree with that. But saying "we need not to be scared into trying to be like other countries" is a recipe for disaster on the long term. Because it works until some other country becomes more attractive than the US (not likely right now, but it's imaginable). And, if anything, having a good education system will give you more talent. There's no way it will give you less, since people aren't coming for the education anyway.