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“...but what’s “conservative” about endless war ... we’ve blown trillions of tax dollars on mideast wars. ... stop with the unnecessary wars. Our soldiers should be deployed to protect our own borders, not Agghanistans or Syrias”

Incomplete analysis. Also ignores the historical record. Borders on megalomania: assumes that the United States is out there all alone, with no other entities involved - not even enemies. Stop navel-gazing.

Would the Middle East be a peaceful paradise without American intervention? Not very likely. Claiming any different is to bow to Michael Moore.

The nation is in peril because of brainless refusal to spend adequately on the military. Far more significant are the transfer payments to individuals. It’s nice to send out the Social Security checks, but it just won’t matter if our military establishment comes up short.

And the choice is not “war” or “peace.” If we spend properly, train accordingly, and demonstrate our resolve, we may intimidate a potential enemy. Academics prettied up this concept by labeling it “deterrence” but it does work. It’s about the only timeless truth there is; the key is making sure the adversary believes our threat to strike. It’s meaning less and less, with conservatives and Left/Progressives wailing and handwringing over the cost and the sacrifice, no matter the situation.

Asserting the “World War One was handled badly, therefore we should never have bothered” is also an incomplete and erroneous notion. Substitute Vietnam, or Korea, OEF, OIF, you name it; saying “we should not have gotten into it” conveys nothing about the strategic merits of this or that particular conflict. All it does is reveal to adversaries real or potential that Americans are wimps with short attention spans ... make it tough on them long enough and they’ll quit.