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'Tehran has arguably been among the biggest beneficiaries, albeit inadvertently, of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Not only has the United States neutralized Iran’s historical nemesis, namely the Baathist Sunni regime in Baghdad, but it also facilitated the commencement of a new chapter in Tehran’s bilateral relations with Iraq.

I remember when Palin got tripped up on the Bush Doctrine question. Being a political junky I knew all about the Bush Doctrine, and had serious questions about it since it when against all of our precedent in military affairs. You obviously have bought into the idea that preemptive military strikes are justifiable. While I can see the merit of say Israel striking Iraq in 1981 to take out Iraq's nuclear weapons program I fail to see why we had to invade Iraq and spend 1000s of lives and 100s of billions of dollars building Iraqis schools, roads and water treatment plants. And why with Bin Lauden Dead are we still in Afghanistan?

The neocons have used the pretext of a justifiable preemptive strike (Bush Doctrine) on a physical treat to our security to engage in a ruinous policy of expanding the "Empire". The bush Doctrine as now practiced means we do what we want, where we want, when we want with out regard to costs either in US lives/dollars or easily foreseen "blowback".

Considering we are past broke, deeply in debt and grossly over extended militarily perhaps a reset on foreign policy is not such a bad idea? Maybe a return to the Monroe Doctrine? "Mexican officials said Wednesday almost 13,000 people died in drug violence in the first nine months of 2011" Maybe our backyard needs attention? Just saying.