Buchananite or Kossack?

A commenter on DailyKos:

Republic vs. Empire

From what I've been reading it boils down to the question of whether we want to be a Republic or an Empire.

For a long time (decades) most politicians in both parties assume we want to be an Empire.

Pat Buchanan's 1999 book was entitled A Republic, Not An Empire, and was about substantively the same choice. Of course, considering Buchanan's work with Nader against markets and trade and his general leeriness of corporations and business, we shouldn't be surprised when the left starts returning the admiration.