I was reading a book of George Kennan's lectures on American diplomacy, and in it he says, "There seems to be a curious American tendency to search, at all times, for a single external center of evil, to which all our troubles can be attributed, rather than to recognize that there might be multiple sources of resistance to our purposes and undertakings, and that these sources might be relatively independent of each other." (George Kennan, American Diplomacy Expanded Edition) I was struck by it. Of course I know that not everyone is happy with American ideas and American actions. And of course I know that not all dissenters are somehow connected to Saddam Hussein or Osama bin-Laden. There are groups who hate America just because we're America. Or just because we're capitalists. Or just because of some silly reason or another. There are some people I know, however, who believe that all people who hate America are somehow connected to one another, who work closely with one another and plot our distruction. I think that's a silly thing. So we're not aggressing Iraq just because they are a threat to us. We're aggressing Iraq because of what happened in our history since the early 1900's, our triumphs and our mistakes as a nation, but mostly our mistakes. It's all connected in some way, interwoven in the ultimate, unknown destiny of America. Is the country here to establish democracy in all countries? Not according to John Locke and the Founders. Is the country here to protect the world? Perhaps, but only because we're so dependent upon the rest of the world for our own survival, political and economic survival. So it would really be protecting itself. Is the country here to be a model society for all nations to follow? I hope not. I would like to think America is here to stand as a symbol of free government, not perfect of course, but doing the best it can. I doubt my theories are legitimate or even close to making sense, but that is what I seemed to get from George Kennan. And that is why we read it. To think great thoughts. Or at least to think.