"...But we have been insulated...in our international life by our long sheltered position behind two oceans. More than this, we have been actually misled by the experience of our two dramatic sorties into the larger world. It has seemed to us that it is our role to intervene in world affairs with sporadic and violent bursts of energy and with decisive and definitive effect- to appear on the scene in the nick of time like a knight errant, rescue the lady, and ride away.
But the experience brought its disillusionment. The lady did not remain as glamorous; she did not even seem particularly grateful; she became demanding. And then, too, there was no secure and serene place to ride to. Our castle walls had crumbled, we found ourselves living on the plane with everyone else. We had the problems of neighbors. And so the occasional challenge of high adventure became the constant and nagging problems of everyday life."
Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson. In the Introduction to Louis J. Halle, Civilization and Foreign Policy, 1955
Quoted in: The Relations of Nations 3rd ed. Frederick H. Hartman. 1973 Macmillan.
How 'bout if the conservatives read stuff like this. A warning from 1955. I seriously doubt any of them read anything.
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