Our pre-Bush moral standing in the world was really something to behold. Under Eisenhower, it prevented the Russians from funding and arming communists in North Korea, and crushing Hungarian dissidents. LBJ and Nixon used our standing in the world to keep the Russian tanks out of Czechoslovakia and their money and arms out of North Vietnam.
Under the greatest steward of peace, Jimmy Carter, the Russians didn't dream of invading Afghanistan. The other beacon of peace and hope, one William Jefferson Clinton, also brilliantly used our standing in the world to keep the Russians out of Chechnya.
If we could only regain that elusive world standing...curse you Dubbya