Call for an end to imperial diplomacy

The imperial presidency would not exist were it not for the Congress, which has willingly ceded authority to the executive branch, especially on matters touching, however remotely, on national security. As the chief executive achieved supremacy, the legislative branch not only lost clout but gradually made itself the object of ridicule.

. . . the problem with the first lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan - that the Pentagon needs to get better at waging "small wars" - is that it overlooks far more fundamental matters. Rather than transforming the armed forces of the United States into a imperial constabulary, the imperative of the moment is to examine the possibility of devising a nonimperial foreign policy.

We, the people, who have elected an intelligent president for our country, can push for this by learning everything we can, and participating in our democracy.

Everyone should read The Limits of Power: The end of American Exceptionalism
by Andrew J. Bacevich

You can see him here on Bill Moyers show.