Do America's enemies see this time as a weak moment for America ?

Iran and Russia seem to be working full steam on their nuclear weapons. There are countries that are very, very paranoid about the direction America has taken under George W Bush. They see the division and the distraction. Is America more vulnerable right now than we have been for many years? Just a thought....in another paranoid moment...

Because we have been weakened. Arrogance breeds blunders. America is more vulnerable than at any time in my life since the Cuban missile crisis ... and unnecessarily so.

Our military is over extended -- our National Guard is off in Iraq and not that many are joining the National Guard.

We are bankrupt -- or damn near -- depends on who is doing the math.

We are outsourcing everything that is not nailed down.

Although we still have Nukes aimed at Russia and China (or so we are told).

The Trident subs still go out on patrols -- fully loaded and able to destroy the world many times over.

The US still operates on the MAD principal -- Mutually Assured Destruction. The real reason for the Nukes in other countries is because they know bushie is unstable -- and becoming more unstable -- they know that the election was rigged. Their Nuke build-up is probably defensive. It seemed to have worked for North Korea -- and that guy is nuttier than bushie (or maybe not).

BUT what can sink us -- a lot of our former (and or not) enemies OWN the US -- they own our debt bonds. Also the world could turn their back on bushie -- perhaps use the Euro instead of the Dollar.

and remember where we get our information. paranoid is how we are supposed to feel. also imagine the global view of us. we have the biggest guns and we just invade countries when we want their resources. its a mad mad world we've created, and we are now the evil emperor of the planet. why should we be the only ones with a nuclear arsenal?
best not to think of these things. la la la la la la

The US still has the most accurate nuclear arsenal in the world. We will not be attacked by another country. We will however probably be attacked by terrorists again. Bush has virtually ensured that that will happen.

And this hegemony has always been backed up by the threat of force
vie the U.S. Marine Corps. But now they no longer need us for
economic support and our military is getting bogged down in the
middle east. It's a recipe for the loss of U.S. domination.

I found this VERY interesting article on the Stockmarket thread in LBN contributed by poster ozymandius:

PUTIN SHAKES THE PETRO-DOLLAR REGIME

Subtle changes are in the wind on the energy front. As much as some people want to regard Russia as a strong American ally, their behavior on several fronts testifies to the contrary. Some truly staggering developments are underway, not adequately reported. Behind the scenes, covered little by the intrepid US press & media, a meeting was convened two weeks ago in the Urals of Russia. European leaders, and OPEC representatives, and Putin quietly are plotting to establish stronger ties between Europe and Russia in their basis for financial transactions. Putin is adroitly offering to install euro pricing of crude oil, which would surely favor Germany and other large EU nations. He strives to obtain geopolitical concessions from EU leaders, namely a more powerful voice for Russia in world politics. (emphasis by Ozymandius)

OPEC appears to be willing and eager to join in new alliances to undermine the US domination from owning the world reserve currency. Enormous consequences follow, which lie completely in US blind spots. A strange contrasting parallel might exist between the United States and Russia, regarding relationships with large energy companies. The USA has evolved into a cooperative collusion with big companies like Halliburton. Russia has broken down into a confrontational situation steeped in confiscation with big companies like Yukos. The USA seems to work constructively with large firms, with governmental support. This is seen in sponsored foreign grain sales, in development of petro-chemical plants, in defense contracts for the military complex, in permissiveness toward software monopolies, in protection of the steel industry, and elsewhere. Russia seems to work in adversarial roles to steal back and forth with their big firms.

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RUSSIA-EUROPEAN AXIS EVOLVES

The European Union has long objected to the financial hegemony of the United States in its dominance of global commerce and money supply. Nowhere is the battle more bitter than in reaction to the chronic abuse of the USGovt in irresponsible spending disconnected from accountability. Europe has complained for many years about the realized exploitation by the USA in expanding federal spending, domestic tax rate cuts, advocated consumer spending, mortgage finance support, and wartime expeditions. Behind these trends and excesses is the petro-dollar system, whose US$ status as world reserve currency basically means “anything goes.” We have taken advantage of the situation, much like an undisciplined teenager who with impunity wrecks cars, collects traffic violation fines, goes on drunken benders, destroys property, assaults people, and expects the world’s savings account to pay for all the bills and cleanup costs. The analogy might seem off the mark, but not really. Most foreign trade surpluses find their way quickly into the US Treasury market, the Fanny Mae & Freddy Mac mortgage market, and US corporate bonds which finance their retail credit operations. Resentment has grown perhaps to a critical level, where reaction is to be soon expected.

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CONCLUSION

Observers and analysts alike are focused upon terrorist risk. They should pay greater notice to financial retaliation and grand shifts in its foundational structure. The United States owns tremendous superiority on the military battlefield. Our greatest vulnerability is financial, from the foreign dependence on credit supply, from supply chain import of energy and other commodities, and most of all from the continued acceptance of the petro-dollar system which serves as the foundation of the world monetary system. The petro-dollar is showing cracks, decay, and moss. Rivets are loose on the USDollar manhole cover. Prepare for change. These topics are fully discussed and analyzed in my private newsletter.

http://www.financialsense.com/Market/wrapup.htm

This is the time to strike. Now, I don't believe that there will be a military strike because of our nuclear potential and the fact that we have a dangerous idiot with his finger on the button. What they will do is to isolate the US economically by abandoning the weak dollar for the stronger Euro. The US with historic debt will have a harder time getting other countries to finance that debt due to this weak dollar. On top of that, the US will continue to pump more and more of its resources into the military which will contribute to the economic collapse of the country. Remember the Soviet Union? Clearly, we are in much better economic shape now than the SU was in the 80s, but it could turn fast if every other country jumps on the Euro.

Considering that congress is focused on "moral" issues and they have just increased the debt ceiling to 800 billion and are probably going to approve more tax cuts, basically, we are screwed.

I think it was on CBC news, discussing world opinion.

It was said that some who could be described as America's philosophical enemies were, while opposed to the war, practically ecstatic at its prospect, because it would mean the "end of America." That meant two things:

America's mask of moral authority would fall and its true, brutal face exposed to the world; and America would become hopelessly mired in deadly and costly guerrilla war, essentially left to itself.

America has never been so weak in so many ways: philosophically, morally and fiscally, and militarily overextended.