John McCain, war hero and my former senator, is drawing attention to what he decries as “isolationism”.  His concerns seem to be that a thread of isolationism in the current field of Republican candidates could lead the United States to return to the foreign policy mistakes of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

While he has a point, and I agree that the United States cannot retreat behind the Atlantic and Pacific again, I do believe that we need to re-evaluate all of our overseas commitments.  If the support we give to someone outside our borders doesn’t pay off in either stability or cash, then we need to drop it and let regional powers take care of themselves.  Since the end of the Cold War, our ‘engagement’ with the rest of the world, especially the 3rd world, has gained us nothing but debt and coffins.

• Did the loss of Rangers in Mogadishu do anything to promote stability in the Horn of Africa?
• Did the billions of dollars we poured into the Balkans gain us anything at all?
• Has Saudi Arabia become more democratic after we poured blood and treasure into their sand in the 1990’s?
• Have the wars in Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arablia gained us any good will for promoting democracy in the Arab and/or Muslim world?
• Has decimating Al Qaeda and working to rebuild Afghanistan paid off after 10 years?
• Has Mexico become more democratic, stable, and prosperous since we started shipping our manufacturing jobs to Nogales and Tijuana?