Every one of the last five presidents--that's 31 years--has come into office insisting that America was overextended militarily & internationally, and that we needed to be more modest in our engagements and bring our troops home.
Reality has a way of intruding. And sophisticated voters should know better than to believe such sentiments, regardless of which party is expressing them.
There are very good reasons why the world has needed America to stand up and intervene from the time that we first had the capability to do so. The world would be a very different place had America not intervened.
We don't always get it right. In my view involvement in WW1 was a mistake, and the Iraq War was a mistake. Both Vietnam and Afghanistan were worthy causes executed poorly. The Korean War and WW2 were noble efforts done heroically.
Preserving the flow of oil has been a major reason for our involvement in the Middle East, but not the only one. Standing by Israel has been not only noble but also necessary.
Now that we are less dependent on oil from the Gulf, it gives us more flexibility in choosing when we engage and for what reasons. It allows us to narrow our focus toward America's core national interests.
In other words, fracking has made Geo. H.W. Bush's "New World Order" unnecessary.
But maintaining our alliance with Israel, and fighting organized terrorism on its home territory should remain in the core interests of the United States.
Yes, Israel can increasingly bear a greater share of its own defense, but I don't believe Israel will ever be able to fight off the entire Muslim world, which remains more or less committed to its destruction.
So while I have no sympathy for neocons who think we must bring democracy to places where it has never before existed (I'm not big on democracy in the first place), I also have no sympathy for those who don't believe we should ever risk American blood and treasure overseas.
Wisdom is knowing when to engage and how to engage. Maintaining our technological advantages will allow us to engage in ways that do not require putting troops on the ground and fighting door-to-door. Which logically extends to establishing Space Force.
This is why President Trump's actions against one of the most evil people in the most evil regime on Earth is not only justified but long overdue, and we should celebrate it, while understanding that it won't end here, and we should be prepared to act again in a similar manner.
I know some of my friends are troubled by the idea that the United States takes such actions, but I really don't think they would like the alternate reality their views would ultimately lead to.
