power. for more than 70 years the presidents of both parties believed that american security and prosperity were directly tied to the success of freedom in the world. they knew that the success depended in large part on u.s. leadership. the mission came naturally because it expressed the dna of american idealism. we know deep down that repression is not the wave of the future. we know that the desire for freedom is not confined to or owned by any culture. it is the inborn hope of our humanity. we know that free governments are the only way to assure that the strong are just and the weak are valued. and we know that when we lose sight of our ideals, it is not democracy that has failed, it is the failure of those charged with preserving and protecting