Why?

"America must remain the world's military superpower..."

GOP Candidate Mitt Romney

But why?

Does the world still needs superpowers? Did it ever?



Is it because of the Soviet threat? I guess not, the Soviet Union is gone and Russia is more concerned with border wars and NATO expansion than kick starting another Cold War.

China? Maybe, except that Chinese do not have a long reach beyond their borders and there are signs that its explosive economic growth is not all that its cracked up to be. The Chinese are more worried about Taiwan than the U.S. More worried about internal dissent than invasion. And besides it is the U.S. biggest trading partner.

India? The European Union? Venezuela? Osama Bin Laden?

How about none of the above?

The reality is that this spot is for those who cling tenaciously to the idea of Pax Americana. People that fear the loss of Empire (and the privileges that come with it) above all else. Its a nod to the industrial-military complex and its neocon adherents telling them that nothing will change inside a Romney administration. It is a macho reflex to sooth the weak egos of those who cheered when their candidates propose more prisons, more torture and more Empire.

The time of the American Empire is over, and nothing that Romney or his ilk promise will change that.