FWIW - here is a similar "Imagine" scenario (we could add scenarios for Germany, Japan, and Korea) which RP so blatantly ignored and for why we still think it reasonable and necessary to maintain overseas basing agreements for a portion of our forces.
Imagine for a moment that the USA had never known any government other than by a series of unelected rulers or self-appointed dictators; that it was a dysfunctional, feudalistic, and military dictatorship who–as the 7th largest army in the world-- had for decades assaulted and–literally–raped its neighboring countries; that indiscriminately tortured and killed its own citizens; that had used outlawed chemical weapons upon both its neighbors and its own citizens during an 8 year inconclusive war of over 1,000,000 casualties; that had denied basic services and support to entire regions of its country to enforce a policy of starvation or worse as punishment for those citizens who had displeased its governing body; that had continued to publicly put forth a policy of genocide and paid bounties to anyone who indiscriminately murdered any of a race of peoples it claimed had no right to exist; that fomented regional instability among the world by supporting active terrorist movements and harboring wanted terrorist leaders; that continued to openly adopt a policy of noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years which led to a UN-sanctioned invasion and the ouster of the ruling regime; that incurred occupying forces who remained under a UNSC mandate for 5 years and then under a bilateral Security Agreement thereafter to help provide security and to support the freely elected government.
IMO - one has to wonder why someone as 'straight talking' as RP portrays himself to be would so blatantly ignore such relevant events in regards to his OpEd piece.
If anyone is really interested in 'learning' something of the issue(s) involved with this complex and on-going topic, the following gives a good and fairly current view of it all.
Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure
of the United States
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/obc.pdf
Richard's $.02
