What real threats?
It's not just threats to America, but threats to our (democratic) allies. My main concern for the past year has been China's actions in the South China Sea, which have become a bigger problem as of late. It's contested area that most people recognize as international waters, but which China, along with the surrounding countries of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan (this is a special case), and Brunei all claim parts of. China is pretty aggressive about it, though, and their claims are some of the most absurd since their country is so far from the area and the other countries have much more history using them as fishing grounds, with Vietnam even establishing a few actual settlements. And an astronomically high amount of international trade runs through these waters. I should describe HOW China is being aggressive, though. They're performing rapid land reclamation projects around these waters on contested islands, and building military bases and airstrips. They declare it their sovereign territory and declare warnings to anybody passing over in the air. Besides this, they've been known to ram fishing boats of nationals of other countries, and they refuse to negotiate any of this except with each country individually so that they have much more pull (as the country that is by far more powerful than any of these individual claimants). It's actually a serious issue, with another country becoming militarized and it possibly pushing towards another bipolar paradigm in international politics. Maybe the US doesn't deserve to be the world superpower, but we're better than the alternative that nobody is really keen on stopping, and the existence and reach of our military is the only thing containing them right now.
Here's the list of military arms sales to Taiwan by the US. That's a lot for a tiny island.
There are always real threats, regardless of the times. You're my age, I'm guessing you recall the time that a small group of radical muslims decided to board a few planes. There are people that are intent on harming us. This is not disputable. That said, there's no arguing that foreign attacks on US soil have been rare, but if nothing else, the result of the 911 reaction from the US proves how important it is to assess a leaders thoughts and capabilities regarding such things. Honestly, there are two things I would hate to see in the white house, a militant war monger or a pacifist. Both would likely lead to catastrophe. I don't know squat about Sanders in this regard, so this is not a critique, rather a question.
We could sustain several 911's a year and they would do less damage to our freedoms and budget than the response to 911 has caused. The terrorist nicked us and we set in with a chainsaw on our own finances and freedoms. Our militarist attitudes make us a bigger danger to ourselves than any threat of terrorism.
there are two things I would hate to see in the white house, a militant war monger or a pacifist. Both would likely lead to catastrophe.
-We've seen the result of the former.
I don't think that GW was weak willed and I don't buy the puppet of Cheney and his cabinet that many people espouse. GW was a man of conviction. He believed strongly in his God given course and I believe that the buck stopped with him. Edit: He was one of the most effective presidents we have ever had. He got more done than anyone gives him credit for. Why? Because the things he accomplished sucked. Whole new branches of government. Tax cuts for the wealthy, two wars etc. Check out Front Line Bush's War. It's a good doc imo.
Here you go for the article : http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/04/25/george_w_bush_is_smarter_than_you_118125.html :)
I've only been alive for some 20-odd years, but it seems to me that the United States - on a public-facing front since a few presidents before my time - is very much a tempest on the world stage. We have the sheer size, influence, finances and military strength to rival or eclipse almost any other nation on the planet, and yet such power gets wielded with all the tact and nuance of a drunken rhino. Looking at other countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, even South America to a degree, I see peoples who are heavily invested in, understanding of, and perceptive of the world around them, the players involved, and what their motivations are. The degree to which the United States continues to bumble about in self-imposed ignorance as if this was somehow a mark of greatness is mind boggling to me.