Yesterday, the company which was once the world's dominant automaker went bankrupt. While we digest the changes at GM, and for all intents and purposes, the onset of a new form of capitalism in this country, it would be wise to combine that analysis with a reflection on the United States' inability to single-handedly prevail in Iraq despite all our military might and the supposition that we are the only "superpower" remaining since the end of the Cold War. Whether we like it or not, both scenarios are signaling a new chapter in this country's history, where we will no longer be the world's dominant player, but one of a multitude of major ones on the global economic and political stage. Hopefully America will always be great, but as history shows, top dog status never lasts ad infinitum. As goes GM, so goes America...to stay near the head of the pack, we need to use this watershed moment as an opportunity for attitude adjustment going forward.

Karen Ann DeLuca