AUGUST 20, 2013

      Back in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler's Germany set out to conquer the world.  He started by conquering most of Europe.  At one point he seemed poised to invade Britain, which of course is an island.  Hitler began by ordering his air force to bomb Britain into submission.  It failed.

     While the war raged, so did debate here over whether the United States should intervene to help Britain.  Those who argued against that were called "isolationists."  They lost the argument, of course;  the US went to war after Japan attacked us.

      But I wonder these days whether we may not need some new isolationists as fighting breaks out in various third world countries--Egypt, lately.  But you can think of Libya, Syria and others in recent years.
 
     We've been prudent so far and I hope we stay that way.  But not always.  President George W. Bush sent troops into Iraq and Afghanistan.  I never understood why;  we are still trying to get them out.

     Hitler was special.  He meant to conquer the world and the world needed to kill him.  But now?  These Third World countries?  Diplomacy is fine, even military aid, maybe--equipment that is.

     But troops.  Let's be isolationists.  It'll be good for us, don't you think?