The sad thing is, all want I for my kids is great health and great education, and those are the two areas where the US performs the most poorly. That's such a spectacular failing of the basic social contract. I've never once hoped for them to be citizens of a "the one true global super power".

I've always wondered how much of the world superpower is sold to us as "to keep us safe" when the honest reality is "too feed our national ego". I do believe that the world is a safer place than it was 30 years ago. But I can't think of a conflict since WWII where U.S. efforts in the region seemed to be the stabilizing factor.