"Who gave us the right to remake the world?"

That's the question asked by Pat Buchanan over at The American Conservative.  (Hat tip to The Pittsford Perennialist.)  As Buchanan writes, "If America wishes to lead the world, let us do it by example, as we once did, not by hectoring every nation on earth to adopt the American way, which as of now, does not seem to be working all that well for Americans."  Amen to that.  America is at its truest when it is a shining city on a hill, as Ronald Reagan used to say, echoing a phrase by the great Puritan divine John Winthrop.  We lead best by our example, not by the use of force or coercion.