Very good. This is absolutely the way we need to go. And we need to get the government out of most everything else as well. The problem is conservative politicians feel they need to build their own special interest factions to ensure such a vote-getting strategy, as perfected by the left, doesn't continue to scrape voters away from the GOP. Unfortunately, most voters aren't smart enough to realize a hands-off policy is actually in their interest -- thus the perpetual growth of government.

RONALD363: I hope you're joking. You realize you just exercised liberal logic -- name-calling and building straw men -- right? Lincoln was the great centralizer and he took the country to war for that reason. He simply used slavery as a cover for pitting Americans against one another to "save the Union". Lincoln was the racist and would have much rather sent all slaves back to Africa just as would the rest of his northern brethren. Do you not see the parallels? Barack Obama is a centralizer -- that's all he's ever known and desired. He channels Lincoln because he admires Lincoln's politics. The sad part is the American people have been hoodwinked into believing Lincoln was a great man. I'm surprised Mona doesn't acknowledge it.

Another good one, KK.

You're right -- we, the people, don't get to pick our wars ... not if we keep voting for the D and R hacks that perpetuate the status quo. We have the power interests with their hands on the strings of our CIA puppets who lay the groundwork for corrupt regimes, dictatorships and extremist pockets in the Middle East and Latin America. These power interests DO pick our wars. We are then bombarded with propaganda to create fear so that we can rationalize our preemptive and evasive action ("national security") in these countries/regions we've set up. Save oil, there have been no vital US interests in any recent wars. There is nothing for us to win and everything for us to lose. We must stop creating the environment for war and stop picking war.

B-I-N-G-O. Good one, Katie.

To all the "wipe Israel off the face of the planet" alarmists, consider that Ahmadinejad uses hyperbole to provoke a reaction from Israel and the empire that has her pocket -- the US. Ahmadinejad can sure spout off all he wants but does not have sole discretion in making any military decisions. Regarding the supreme leader, he has recently made his own comments that have been equated to Ahmadinejad's rhetoric. But I would argue there is no clear military intent in his comments; I would consider it more a message to Israel that her attitude in the region does not jive with a growing conglomerate of Islamic nations in the region. It is not a sign that Iran will attack them. It is to say "compromise with us or attack us -- you decide."

Dr. Sowell, you are quite right on so many topics. But you've seized on a very foolish quote from D'Souza -- his Iran prediction. He implies Obama's position towards Iran (passive) and Isreal (less-than-amicable) is a bad one. I disagree. Obama may have poor intentions (to validate Islam?), but his basic attitude towards Iran and Israel seems ok -- you could say Obama is right but for the wrong reasons. [On everything else he's wrong for the right reasons, definition of a liberal do-gooder.] We need to stop pretending Israel is an ally -- she is of no vital interest to anyone but US politicians seeking the Jewish vote. Likewise, pushing Israel and democratic governments on cultures that don't share our values will only create blowback.

John Stuart Mill would be rolling in his grave if he saw how you generalized his quote. You're so close to making sense, but you fail to make that final connection and understand that protecting are freedoms does not justify preemptive war. You acknowledge that most of the modern day wars are no good, but then try to justify fighting them ... for what? Because you disagree with the culture of a foreign people? Guess what: they would have no beef with us because of our culture ... if it were not a culture of preemptive war. The reasons for the recent wars cannot be drawn back to preserving our freedom except in the propaganda we're fed. Instead, we are ensuring our demise via our foreign policy.