What should America's Role be in the world?

Dan, I'm humbled. Thanks, and keep questioning.

America is chock full of money and people smart enough to use it wisely. We've been hijacked and the only solution is at the ballot box in November. Do I think anyone wearing the Democratic label is inherantly honest? NO. It is our own active citizenship that will prevail. But first we must remove those diametricly opposed to the sentiments you express.

sounds like a "liberal" platform you have there.

"Frankly we have not demonstrated any of those strengths as country for a long time."

and why is that?

A good question Martin. Maybe we fell in love with progress. The war raised an incredible burst of technological advance that continuted on almost unabated for the best part of forty years. We grew to expect to be richer, to have more of everything; business expected to be bigger next year and to have better profits next year and change was coming so fast that suddenly we were doing measureably bigger and better every quarter! Of course!!. No need for hard work, no need for good work, no need to do the right thing, no need to worry about what tomorrow might bring, just live and tomorrow gets better. Only no bubble grows forever does it? We have forgotten work toward a communal goal was what made that progress happen. And anybody who suggests that perhaps perpetually higher, better, faster  may not only be undesireable, but can not be practical forever gets treated as a pariah.

Greed. And corporate America. When corporate America gave us things like 'dress for success', and winning is all that matters, despite how many people you have to use to get there, people not only accepted it in the work place, they took it home. Now, it seems to be the American Way. I'm amazed every day at the callousness I hear... people who literally doom others to homelessness and death through their words and votes.

"We have forgotten work toward a communal goal was what made that progress happen."

the communal goal that you refer to was the Cold War - and the scam of mutally-assured destruction.

are you sure this post isn't really a sly attempt to justify the invasion of iraq? since it's not working out so well now, i mean. help the little guy. also, since war is a direct result of capitalism and the workings of an industrial-military agenda - it would be time to reverse course.

~~

sandy - how about fema cutting the housing aid for katrina victims, and on the same day a report comes out detailing the massive accounting errors, wasted billions and likely fraud surrounding the whole thing? imagine being from baton rouge, new orleans or gulfport - getting evicted from a hotel today, and this morning's free copy of USA Today on the doorstep reads:

Audits: Millions of dollars in Katrina aid wasted

not good.

Martin you are perhaps to young to know better I suppose and it would seem that perhaps you still haven't learned to read; However in response to your statement

the communal goal that you refer to was the Cold War - and the scam of mutally-assured destruction.

"No it wasn't "

As to the second part of your comment directed at me, clearly you have not or can not read my views on the Iraq war.
Please explain the part of MAD that was and is a 'scam'.

defense spending. russia was never going to lob nuclear bombs at us and you know it.

cash cow.

Ah martin, martin, martin,   And I suppose you would say that we would never have lobbed nulear bombs at them either eh? And crazy Joe did not ruin hundreds of lives with his witch hunts and some fools did not start a twenty+ year war over their "commie fears" (and a little profit at the expense of other peoples sons wans't so bad either)? And nice ol Russia who only insisted on taking half of Europe under their iron fist(and I do mean iron. They were not playing nice)  for the crime of getting beaten by the Nazis and thereby letting the Nazis attack Russia. Nice old Russia who had deliberately starved a large part of their population just to make sure the Germany army had a hard time finding food. The nice old Russia that killed several million of their own after the war because the farmers(stupid greedy folks that they were) claimed to own the wheat fields they had farmed for generations.That nice old Russia would never have attacked the west even if they thought they could get pretty much away with it. No not those nice old gentlemen. As terrible as it is MAD was the only thing keepping a nuclear holocaust at bay. Unfortunately both sides are having a hard time keepping the threat credible. Russia can't afford it and the West hasn't the will. It is becoming more probable all the time that some third party will feel safe in trying to sneak up the middle as it were.

perhaps, dan.

The struggle was widely called the Cold War in that it did not involve direct armed conflict between the main contestants (by contrast, a so-called "hot" war). The Cold War was instead waged by means of diplomatic maneuvering, economic pressure, selective aid, intimidation, propaganda, assassination, low-intensity military operations and full-scale proxy wars. The Cold War period also simultaneously witnessed the largest arms race (both conventional and nuclear) in history, leading to widespread global fears of a potential nuclear war.

and a lot of taxpayer money going into contractor pockets.

i suppose after Dr Strangelove, i just couldn't take the threat seriously.