Worse than Bush?  The central theme of Barack Obama’s successful
campaign for the presidency was his call for “change”—albeit
often with few details. There is an imperative need for change
in America’s foreign policy. Even during the cold war,
Washington’s strategy led to security free-riding by allies and
clients, caused the republic to blunder into ill-advised
military crusades, most notably the Vietnam War, and imposed
unnecessary financial burdens on taxpayers.  Matters have become
even worse since the end of the Cold War. U.S. forces have
intervened in places as diverse as Panama, Somalia, Haiti, the
Balkans, and the Persian Gulf, and Washington’s formal and
informal security commitments have expanded enormously.
America’s strategic over-extension and muddled priorities
reached new levels under George W. Bush, with the utopian goal
of implanting democracy in the Middle East and other unpromising
regions.  America’s foreign policy cries out for drastic change,
but it remains uncertain whether president-el