Is there a middle ground between isolationism and neo-conservatism?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

It seems to be there is a lot of ideological space between Ron Paul, Barack Obama, and John Bolton.

[el_bryanto]

1. Slippery slope

Once you commit to an area of the world - it's very hard to stop being committed to it. So even mild engagement leads to more engagement.

It's unlikely any President we could elect is going to write off Iraq; we've spent too much in money and human lives. So we will keep investing, even though nothing good seems to come from it. And small investments usually require larger investments to protect the small initial investments.

That's why ultimately there's not that much difference between committing to supporting moderate militias and committing ground troops; one will lead to the other. Or so the argument goes, anyway.

Bryant

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. I am sure you know businesspeople call it sunken cost.

Wasting money and resources to recover a loss that is unrecoverable.

[el_bryanto]

3. That's as may be - but it happens often enough

And in this case the sunk costs aren't just money - they are the prestige and power of the United States. It's hard for a President to walk away knowing the damage that will be done there.

Bryant

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. I am confident of putting the likelihood of an American president walking away from the M E at zero.

And I defy anybody to disabuse me of that notion. It is also as much a empirical statement as a normative one.