Yes, of course invading a country to protect dollar hegemony is lunacy. The whole rush to war was lunacy. The stated reasons did not add up and the necessity was not there. So why did they (really "we", but I tried hard to not do it) invade? War on terror? Nah - no connection to alquaida. WMDs? Nah - we didn't let the UN inspector scenario play out. Desire to free Iraqi people from tin-pot despot? Nah - the US has a history of not deposing despots.
So that leaves a rush to war to make sure we're having victory celebrations in time for the Nov presidential elections (possible - seems to have worked in spite of the slow going there). Or possibly some other reason. Protect dollar hegemony? Protect Israel? Shore up relations with Saud family? Special vendetta against Hussein because of an attempt on GWH Bush's life? Something else?
If I was going to spend this kind of money and blood to rescue a people, I'd be in Colombia. They want democracy, and are standing up to terrorism in a way that totally shames this country (we get one major terrorist act and end up with the patriot act - they're under much worse assault and are still trying to maintain citizen rights).
We've already tried to invade and annex Canada. You know the story, including ol' Benedict not getting the recognition he thought he deserved... As far as Canada now not being able to defend against a hockey stick, well, first, that was totally uncalled for, and second, do you really want to start an asymmetrical war with a country you share a three thousand mile border with? Think they'd stay home or would a sizable minority bring the war to us? It'd be just like Nazi Germany, trying to sort out infiltrators. ("Your papers please...")
All that said, if Quebec separates, the Indian nations to the north will try to separate from them, and given the recent history of the Mohawks, this will be armed. We could easily be drawn into that one (and it would be in our national interest to see it settled). If that scenario plays out, it's quite possible that the maritimes might eventually become part of the US.
Finally, what would I cut? Well, there's a war that we rushed into. Because of the rush, we're getting essentially no financial backing from the rest of the world - and they'd be idiots to give us money after we rushed right past the consensus process as it would just encourage us to do it again.
We probably disagree on the value of consensus. I would guess that, as a Marine, you get very little exposure to it. I live in a consensus based community. My experience with is is that, although it can be slow and unwieldy at times, it does a really good job of keeping you from doing something stupid - or at least knowing that it's stupid before you do it
On a more macro level, trying to become "world policeman" on our own is a very bad sign. Seems to me Paul Kennedy's "Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" was on that "Marine University" list. Care to poke some holes in his observations/theories?
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