Helprin's worried

"A hundred years ago, Republican presidential incumbent Theodore Roosevelt had just defeated the now obscure Judge Alton B. Parker, the army had long been fighting Muslim insurrectionists in the Philippines and was recasting itself to fight insurgencies, reformers were concerned with the environment and money politics, and the country's meat supply was viewed with suspicion."

Sound familiar? Mark Helprin has a dark view of America's readiness for the challenges that face us now and this century. He's one of the clearest thinkers regarding our response to terrorism and military preparedness in general. Read the whole thing.