[Growler]

I think that the age of American economic primacy is coming to a close, and I'm not sure that's a bad thing; after pricing the former USSR out of business, the US had the capital and no real place to spend it. It almost feels like the current economic downturn in the US is a consequence of bad fiscal policy internally that resulted in not having a fiscal enemy externally.

Even with Somalia and later, Desert Shield/Storm, the US just wasn't spending like it did in the Reagan administration, and was rather coasting on those profits and internal deregulation of housing and other industry.

Understand - I'm not an economic historian by any stretch. All of the above is pure speculation, and probably misses on several marks; its just how I perceive the situation today.

Also, I haven't had much coffee yet.