"The high-water mark of the American Empire was...." Pretend you're a historian and fill in the

[sofa king]

39. I'd say it was the Clinton Era

After World War II and for pretty much every moment since, the American empire has held the rest of the world under its sway by threat of total annihilation, not just through its nuclear arsenal or its war machine, but also through its control of the international markets and its ability to set worldwide exchange rates, through the debts other nations owed it, and by worldwide control of the seas and international commerce.

Only in the Clinton years did we see our strategic weapons systems partially stood down and its readiness system restructured so that a series of mistakes could not destroy humanity in one night.

Only in the Clinton years did we see our armed forces largely redirected to standby and peacekeeping duties.

Only in the Clinton years did the United States conduct its finances responsibly, reducing the risk of market destabilization and global famine, and protecting global commerce.

Only in the Clinton years was a completely new system of commerce and communication put in place--the Internet--which improved the lives of billions of humans.

In other words, only President Bill Clinton created a "benign empire" that actually worked as a force for good in the world. As a result, our nation's influence grew, our ability to control the pace of international conflicts grew

Eight years of George Bush was enough to ensure such a thing can never happen again.