The Cubs of War

At one time, Americans were the Yankees of war. We always won. We whipped the mighty English Empire twice in our infancy. We then went on to defeat the Indians, the Confederacy, Spain and Mexico in short order. In our prime, we were the 27 Yankees and our red, white and blue Murderers' Row whipped the Kaiser, the Nazis and the land of the Rising Sun. But American has fallen on hard times since MacArthur accepted Japan's unconditional surrender.
The first sign of America's decline came in Korea, where the tiny North Koreans and Chinese Reds fought us to a draw. A generation later, Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Cong beat a disspirited American team, tired after a long series of wars.
Following a costly and humiliating defeat in Vietnam, the US government tried to wage war against poverty and later, against drugs. Under Republicans Nixon, Ford and Reagan, the war on poverty was abandoned. The war on drugs continues but it is clear that law enforcement is waging a futile battle.
George Bush's quick victory in the first Gulf War raised hope that America was back, but defeating an Iraqi Army worn down by years of war against Iran, gave the Americans a false sense of confidence.
George W. was going to do the old man one better by fighting not one, but two warss simultaneously, a performance unmatched since Franklin Roosevelt. Days after forcing a brutal dictator into hiding, a proud president declared "Mission Accomplished" but thosands of Americans would die in both Iraq and Afghanistan while the villain of 9/11 remains free. Nothing like the convincing victories of WWI and WWII seem possible in either Iraq or Iran.
Although undefeated until 1945, the US is just 1-3-2 in its various wars since then. That's not the kind of record you'd expect from a superower.