Submitted by Dave Nelson, Nov 9, 2007 14:21

Liberman describes isolationism. When people hear the word isolationism, most think only of the policies. But isolationism is not policies, it is a moral judgment from which certain policies spring forth.

Contemporary Democrats largely beleive the United States is immoral. It doesn't matter whther they are right or wrong, or even clearly aware of the judgement being held. What matters is the judgement has been made and from that judgment springs forth policies to isolate the immoral power, which in this case is our own country, from the pure and innocents who are better. Whether it is reflexive opposition to the use of any military power, advocacy of multiculturalism, reservations about free trade, the usefulness of the U.N., and the understanding of out relationship with "allies", these polices all are sourced from this moral judgement and are meant to isolate the power and interests of the U.S. from the rest of the "innocent" world.

As Liberman correctly points out, it wasn't that long ago when the direct opposite judgement held sway among Democrats -- that the U.S. was a force for good in the world and that the dismay over Vietnam was the watershed event that changed everything. In an earlier era it was the bleak horror of WWI that set moral judgments against Europe, leading to policies -- in this case from Republicans -- to try to isolate the innocent U.S. from the moral corruption of Europe.

I sincerely doubt Democrats will back off this moral judgement, and the policies that follow, until those whose political awareness was set by Vietnam -- my own generation -- die off and let the party reassess.

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