The book in question was The Folly of Empire: What George W. Bush Could Learn from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, and it played to a packed house. I suspect the author really knows his stuff, but I think the emphasis was lacking in vision. I agree that the Vietnam and Phillipine wars should have taught us the dangers of these liberations. But I don't think these lessons mean that multilateral diplomacy is the end-all be-all policy.
Frankly, I think the USA sucks at that sort of policy, and that we should persue it only for so long as it is our only option. At the same time, we should look for more options. I tried to make the case for a crash R&D program for energy independance, but I think the thought of being on TV made me look like a chimp. (Before C-SPAN's edits, I was the penultimate quesiton. I was the young guy with glasses in jeans.) This is an area where the US has a great track record. Apollo and Manhattan prove it.
Frankly, I think the USA sucks at that sort of policy, and that we should persue it only for so long as it is our only option. At the same time, we should look for more options. I tried to make the case for a crash R&D program for energy independance, but I think the thought of being on TV made me look like a chimp. (Before C-SPAN's edits, I was the penultimate quesiton. I was the young guy with glasses in jeans.) This is an area where the US has a great track record. Apollo and Manhattan prove it.
~cheers