[gusopol3]

I heard this line, "U.S. is past its prime," beginning in college in mid-70's. Who was the author 15 years ago who had Japan ascending to the gold-medal spot on the cover of his book: Rise and Fall of the Great Powers? Appreciated your perspective on U.S. power vis-a vis Europe from 1860's onward. Recently read an excerpt of a biography of C.S. Lewis, who, while hunkering down in a trench in France, as a 19 year old, in 1917, looked forward with great anticipation to the arrival of the Americans that he saw as the only alternative to death in the trench. Clinton is wishful-thinking along the lines of his sovereignty-surrendering pal, Strobe Talbot.

[Southack]

"I heard this line, "U.S. is past its prime," beginning in college in mid-70's. Who was the author 15 years ago who had Japan ascending to the gold-medal spot on the cover of his book: Rise and Fall of the Great Powers?"

I hammered Paul Kennedy on his "Japan will rule us" claim at the time, but I do grant that Kennedy made a very astute point about nations that have fallen because they spent too little on their national defense while others fell because they spent too much on defense and went bankrupt.

Note to Kennedy: The U.S. is the goldilocks of spending...

[Inkie]

Read Larry Elder's opinion column on the back page of the Investors Business Daily for tomorrow (Monday). It catalogues the entire deal Bubba made with Loral and how it sold out American security for campaign bucks. For instance, did you know that the change from State Department to Commerce Department power over high-tech sales to China was accomplished overnight through Clinton's executive order?

What was it the War Room folks used to say? "Stroke of a pen, law of the land. Cool." The gulag is too good for these people.