Really, you can't compare the US with Ancient Rome, which openly proclaimed and built itself as an empire, whereas the US is more of an interventionist world cop, in its present incarnation. It's also considerably more civilized than Rome, too. How long US world dominance will last, given China, India, and the Islamist menace, is anyone's guess. May it not suffer any more terrorist attacks ..

I know how disappointed you and the Dem supporters feel, but I've had to cope with 8 years of Thatcherite Toryism 'opposed' by gutless and amoral 'opposition' party (Labor), and believe me, the best way to cope with the state of things is to just accept it for the time being, and hope (or work actively) for a different and better future. Personally there are some things about Bush of which I approve, but I'm still reserving judgement on Iraq, especially with regard to 'collateral damage'.