by Patrick J. Buchanan – January 2, 2007

If there was a defining moment in 2006, it was the public firing of Donald Rumsfeld, just hours after the Republican rout of Nov. 7. George Bush was bowing to public repudiation of his war policy, his war minister and, indeed, his war presidency. Yet one senses voters were doing more than rejecting Bush’s leadership on Iraq. They were rejecting the very idea of spilling blood and treasure in crusades for “global democracy,” “ending tyranny on earth” or a “New World Order.” By saying, as most of us are saying now, “In the end, it’s the Iraqis’ problem,” Americans seem to be bidding goodbye to all that. And as we turn our backs upon the world, that world — from Europe to the Mideast, to Russia, China and Latin America — seems to be turning its back on the United States. The disposition to sacrifice for altruistic ends is waning. Like the Brits before us, the Yanks are coming home…