"As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden." Barack Obama, let alone Chauncey Gardener, could not state it more simply and eloquently. For a decade, we have ignored the roots that made the U.S. the envy of the world. Our economic strength fueled our swagger overseas. After all, it was Gorbachev who had to concede that the Soviet Union's military misadventures (in, um, Afghanistan) to try and effect regime change weakened their grip on would-be democracies. Reagan's strong words in Rejkjavik were bolstered by a robust financial garden. Now, our roots are severed. Like Gulliver, we are bound by rotten, tangled vines, and Lilliputians (really - the Castro Brothers? Have you seen what they drive down there?) continue to antagonize. So much fertilizer has severed us from reality.