Not at all- consider the scenario in which the US presents itself as the voice of sweet reason in the face of a world oil crisis.
Given the Bush years, this seems unlikely, except perhaps as an ironic comedy skit.
I'm torn between suspecting there's some as-yet unrecognised genius-level global masterplan, and accepting that these people are utterly incapable of imagining a strategy more sophisticated than swaggering around like macho losers and blowing shit up for the sake of it.
you are the media you consume.
the real structure of government consists of the 95% career civil servants who really comprise the "works", and who make day to day policy- and have a powerful say in the real strategy.
However, Bushco has systematically destroyed and dismantled that model, installing its sycophants in bureaus and agencies, for several layers down, well into the mundane workings. Read any of the pieces written about how the intellectual lightweights of Liberty University were installed by Rove/Bush/Gonzales and have pretty well ruined the credibility of the justice department.
The next president, assuming a Democrat is allowed to win, will have a LOT of housecleaning to do, from the bottom up.
-How deep is the infection? I think the patient still has levels of resistance. Hansen, at NASA is a good example. The focus was on politically useful slots- the rest seem to have been muzzled, but not "liquidated". If that were not the case, it would be a terminal disease. It may still be:
-Do the democratic doctors truly want to do the surgery needed?
I worry more about that-- I don't see it. Hillary will keep the bases in Iraq, --and the stolen oil. If she does, she must keep the empire, and empire and a democratic republic are mutually exclusive. "There is mysterious music in democracy, when people decide to believe in themselves." ---Bill Greider, The Nation.
As to your other question, je ne sais pas.
I fear that the bases in Iraq will stay, just as a function of inertia. Once the massive machinery lumbers into activity, it's very hard to turn it aside or, especially, to undo what's been done. That will/would require massive amounts of change, and barring externally-imposed disaster, I'm not sure the comfortable American body politic is up to confronting that.
