Margaret Atwood's Letter to America

I just finished reading Margaret Atwood's "Letter to America" and I can't quite understand how she has so much insight into the modern world. I've read a couple of her books and each time I am amazed that the conclusions she draws are so apt and conceivable. Specificlly when she refers to America's current strategy with the conflicts overseas, as a slippery slope, she's right on the button. I don't know how many of you have read any of the news about what's going on over there, but in my opinion it's almost like they're taking one step forward and three steps back. I may not really be old enough to know how America was before the gulf war or the cuban missile crisis, but from what I've read, it was't all about the quest for the bigger stick. Ms. Atwood refers to all the pleasent things that have come out of the United States, and I must admit, it's hard to imagine an Americawithout all the turmoil that they experience today. I wonder, as does Ms. Atwood, when will things go back to the way they used to be? Is it even possible to go back to the way things were?