[goldstategop]

I don't. Coming from the neocon tradition myself, it was no less than Ronald Reagan who had no qualms about intervening any time and any place in the world to bring down the Soviet Union. President Reagan simply refused to accept the paleocon notion the USSR was our eternal enemy. He made clear from the outset of his presidency the U.S was out to win. And at the end of the decade he was proven right. Today President Bush is pursuing the same course of action against Islamofascism. It may take a decade, however long it takes we will win. And President Bush will too be proven right. The fact of matter is our national interests now have a global dimension. What has changed since 9-11 is we will no longer wait for an enemy to attack us; when a danger to our country appears we will take it to the enemy and destroy him wherever he can be found. It not about pursuing Wilsonian dreams of democracy that animates mainstream conservatives; its about keeping the United States Of America the one indispensable and preeminent nation on the planet that is at the heart of our philosophy and we make no apologies for it.

[Servant of the Nine]

.........it was no less than Ronald Reagan who had no qualms about intervening any time and any place in the world to bring down the Soviet Union.

A Nation must defend it's Sphere of Influence.
At the start of the Nation we were so peripheral and insignificant that we had no Sphere of Influence, and had no business getting involved anywhere, as Washington observed.
By the time of Thomas Jefferson our Sphere had expanded to Sea Trade and required defeating the Barbary Pirates and maintaining a fleet.
Our sphere soon expanded via the Monroe Doctrine to include all of this hemisphere.
After WW II our Sphere included all of the free world and we defended it as necessary.
With te collapse of Communism, our Sphere of Influence became the entire planet.

We can either defend our Sphere and, if we wish, rule it, but any warfare or terrorism on this planet is now directed one way or the other at us. We must fight it overseas or we must fight it at home.

So9

[x]

I don't. Coming from the neocon tradition myself, it was no less than Ronald Reagan who had no qualms about intervening any time and any place in the world to bring down the Soviet Union. President Reagan simply refused to accept the paleocon notion the USSR was our eternal enemy.

You may be too young to remember Vietnam. Reagan was successful because the US pursued its goals carefully, cautiously and let time do its work. Now we are back with that old confidence and spirit and the belief in our own invincibility that we had after WWII. It's good to be confident, but hubris (excessive pride and overconfidence) inevitably leads to nemesis (downfall).

It not about pursuing Wilsonian dreams of democracy that animates mainstream conservatives; its about keeping the United States Of America the one indispensable and preeminent nation on the planet that is at the heart of our philosophy and we make no apologies for it.

Time will show whether recklessly squandering our resources and goodwill in reckless interventions is the best way to do this. Every empire overextends itself and grows tired of constant sacrifices in the end. Best to prudently conserve our resources and use them only when it's really necessary.

[ninenot]

when a danger to our country appears we will take it to the enemy and destroy him wherever he can be found

I certainly hope you re-phrase that to comport with Just War theory.

"Threats" are not sufficient for attacks.