In addition to a swollen government and massive debt, a weakened military and failing dollar.

The survey yielded a variety of other interesting results:

— Most of the public believe there hasn’t been another terrorist attack in the United States only because we’ve been lucky. Just a third say it’s because the Bush administration has done a good job protecting the country.

— The general public overwhelmingly believes post-9/11 restrictions on visas for foreign students are worthwhile, but majorities in five of the groups of opinion leaders say they go too far.

— Americans in general say reducing illegal immigration and fighting international drug trafficking are much more important than opinion leaders do.

— The public largely believes U.S. mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was the result of misconduct by U.S. soldiers, while solid majorities in five of the eight groups of opinion leaders say it was the result of official policies.

"Americans’ appetite for world leadership has waned significantly since before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, with more than two-fifths saying the United States should mind its own business, according to a major new survey released Thursday.

"The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Council for the People & the Press and the Council on Foreign Relations, found an isolationist streak that rivals sentiments that emerged in the mid-1970s in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. "

And there's that comparison to Vietnam that some folks are too blind to see. Thank God others have their eyes open.