Chou,

I never said that you said the USA shouldn't have a strong military. What said was that the Cuban Missile Crisis was averted not because of diplomacy, but because of military strength and the willingness to go to war, and as excon pointed out, the actual military actions (blockade) that convinced Khruschev of that fact. MILITARY ACTION and a willigness to take military action averted the Cuban Missile Crisis, not diplomacy. Diplomacy was merely the AFTERMATH that was brought about by military action.

It seems that it is you who are misrepresenting MY position.

Elliot