[sneakypete]

No, but it does put to lie the idea that American muddling and empire-building does not have consequences.

I suppose you probably think that just sitting at home and comtemplating the lint in our navels would be consequence-free? That a national foreign policy of "Ignore the bad mans and hope they go away!" is the best foreign policy?

You need to grow up.

[gjenkins]

"I suppose you probably think that just sitting at home and comtemplating the lint in our navels would be consequence-free?"

Withdrawing from the world is just as self defeating as pragmatism in foreign policy. We are supposed to be different than them, but we aren't when we do things like this. Furthermore, pragmatism is their game, and they will win it played on those terms. We represent the moral high ground, but we do not if we are scared to live it.