Why the US should not be the world's bully..., er, I mean policeman

11. Throwing our weight around just pisses everyone off, even our allies.

10. Now they don't just want us to leave, they want us to clean up the mess we, er, I mean, the insurgents have made.

9. There's no consensus on what democracy means. Is it voting for one's leaders? Is it voting for electors who choose one's leader's? Does it include an independent judiciary? Who says? I'll show you democracy you lame brain... See what I mean?

8. There's no consensus on what freedom is. Does it mean freedom to do what you want? Wear a burka? Kill infidels? Worship as one pleases? Wear miniskirts? Be gay? Get AIDS? Use drugs? Visit prostitutes? Be a prostitute? Make fun of one's leaders? Make fun of other people? Make fun of oneself?

7. How do you tell an insurgent from a freedom fighter?

6. We can't afford the human cost -- lives lost or disrupted, emotional fallout, lost productivity -- both for ourselves and those we "help".

5. We can't afford the financial cost.

4. We can't fix political situations others have created. Only the people involved in the politics can resolve political problems. How would US citizens feel about another country attempting to impose a different form of government in the US?

3. We can't satisfy ourselves that our own elections are free and fair. Why would anyone trust us to run theirs?

2. It never seems to take long for those we "liberate" to go from gratitude to radicalized terrorists, the ungrateful wretches. I just don't get that.

1. Most of us are too fat to fit into the uniform.