The world was obviously safer at the end of the Cold War, because American was perceived to be powerful, determined, and would without question use its military might to squash threats. When Gaddafi was threatening our ships and planes nearing the Gulf of Sidra, military brass asked Reagan if Libyan jets fire on our Navy planes should they be pursued? Reagan responded, “All the way back to the hanger”. You know the rest of that story. We felt safer, the World felt safer. And why? Because America could not be pushed around. It was only after Obama came into office that we showed the World we could be pushed around. This “leading from behind” is not working and is tearing down every thing Reagan, and the Bush’s and I will even say Clinton built. The credibility of the United States is in question. Obama’s failure to follow through on threats he makes like the “red line” reverberated all around the globe sending the message America is weak, and America is unreliable. It can also be argued that the Islamofascism has spread like wildfire under not Bush’s watch, but Obama’s.
So Rand, and those here that agree with him can spout all you want that this civil war is Bush’s fault. But ask yourself, would there even be a Iraq civil war, if militants on either side of this war feared us?