There is a bumper sticker that makes me laugh heartily every time I see it. It is a goofy picture of GW with block letters WTF? next to him.

I wish I were a journalist with a big budget and I could go around the country and ask people what they really think America should do for its foreign policy. I mean, let's be honest, the current plan isn't turning out so well.

Why do we need over 500 military bases around the world? Is that really necessary for our nation's defense? Is that why they are there? Or is there some other reason?

Is it truly in our country's interest to be forking over billions and billions to other countries in support of (pick your favorite): the drug war, the war on terror, AIDS, education, and the who knows what other things we dump our cash into?

My friend insists that we could blow away the world (figuratively not literally) by withdrawing all our troops to our own borders and cutting off US govt. funds to other countries. Trade with us, do business here, travel to our country. But don't expect Uncle Sam to police or fund the world anymore. Imagine what a boost to our own economy if all our troops came home and our tax dollars were spent here instead of "over there". It is astonishing to see how much money goes into foreign spending.

I know it seems unrealistic, impossible. But if you are just talking principles, and not pragmatism, it is the right thing to do. The Founding Fathers insisted upon no foreign entanglements. Oh yeah, and remember a limited government that is bound by the Constitution? Hmmmm....

Every adult in the country should read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, say, once every 5-10 years. America would be totally transformed in a generation (at most) if everyone adhered to the principles in those documents.

Iraq is so depressing. It is awful. I remember feeling a sense of comfort hearing, as I grew up, that we would never make the mistakes we made in Vietnam again. Then, when I watched the buildup to war, well, I just couldn't believe it! Didn't anyone else see the parallels? I know they were not exactly alike of course, but in general one can safely say that we risked and lost too much in a cause that was debatable (at best).

Then reading about the fall of Rome. Umm... hello? I am doubting that GW read Gibbon but Cheney must have! And there are books comparing our current culture to the German culture pre-Hitler. Major yikes!

People should talk and think about it more. Not just about getting out of Iraq, but about how our country behaves all over the world, all the time. Then we can think about how our country behaves at home. But that's another blog.