Tom, my problem with your statements is that you label a country as if it's an entity, some single point of policy. My gosh man, France is made up of millions of individual people, some good some bad. Just because you don't agree with whoever their current leader is doesn't mean we can simply blow off the whole country or any other for that matter. We are citizens of the world first and foremost, Americans second. What others around the world think of us does matter. In history, every country that forgot that concept and sat back smug and secure with their own self-righteousness, eventually lost their power and prestige.

Power is not simply military and economic might. It's also got a component of respect. Ours is dropping fast. Those other aspects will inevitively follow.