Thomas,

A lot of good points. The U.S. has made a lot of mistakes in terms of foreign policy. However, I am pretty confident in saying that we have done a lot better than any other country would if they were thrust into the foremost position of leadership in the world. I find it ironic that some of the more extreme posts have painted the U.S. as domestically oppressive and intent on world domination. Sorry folks, but if the U.S. is such a bad place then why do so many people from every nation in the world want to immigrate here. Also, if the U.S. was bent on world domination, we could have realized it in 1945 when we had the greatest army, navy, and air force in the world, and we had the bomb. Instead, we devoted much of our energy to helping other countries rebuild. We also played a major role in aiding new nations that developed out of 400 years of colonial oppression, oppression that occurred at the hands of many of the European nations that now so gleefully criticize the U.S. So, if people want to paint a "warts and all" picture of the U.S., that's their right. But they shouldn't fool themselves into thinking that there is any other nation that could do better given the opportunity.