Since this is number 1 on the hit parade, I'll start here. Paul and Hornberger are both incorrect. The answer to number 1 is absolutely NO. The reason we didn't launch on the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war was because we did not have enough provocation to do so. The reason the Soviets didn't launch on America is because they knew we would retaliate.
And this in a nutshell is my problem with Ron Paul and Hornberger, they are not even astute enough to recognise the difference between their own country and the Stalinist USSR.
We had much more than adequate provocation, if one uses the new "Bush" doctrine of evil people with evil designs on us attempting to acquire WOD. If one does not, then the Soviet involvement in Vietnam, Africa, Cuba, the Berlin blockade, and other places were adequate.
No, the point of the question is correct: we are choosing our enemies based upon their negatively correlated ability to strike back, with little, if any, reference to morality or even the interests of the US.
Too many Libertarians are blind to both morality and reality. They have become lost in ideals and have locked themselves away from the real world. They set themselves up in a maddening situation in which they (a)hate the world they live in and (b)are unwilling to take any practical steps to improve the situation.
It's almost like arguing with a sociopath. You may as well save your breath. I don't even try anymore.