OK Let me get this right. We arm the middle east by selling them old military shit, march in and start a war without a declaration and occupy their land which they consider holy, suck out their oil, shoot the shit out of their patriotic citizens for standing up against us (leaving left the weak and scared), and tell the American people that we are fighting for peace and democracy.
How about we get rid of the neocons, wise up, pull out, apologize, restore faith in the US, trade again, build up our national defense and protect our borders and restore the Bill of Rights and obey the constitution, get rid of the IRS and the Federal Reserve System and legalize competing currencies, leave it up the the free market to solve our energy crisis, and set a good fucking example for the rest of the world, giving them incentive to want to emulate us, and then eventually we might be able to live in harmony and explore space together, forever, in peace.
I wouldn't consider that a loss.