What the hell does Rome have to do with this? Well...

A) The Founding Fathers were schooled in the Classics and were intimately familiar with ancient Rome and Greece. They modeled the fledgeling new nation on Rome. Look at American architecture. Look at the Congress -- it has a House chamber and a Senate chamber like Rome did.

B) America is an empire. 725 military bases in 130 foreign countries.

C) You've heard of the Pax Romana (Roman Peace)? There have been books written on the Pax Americana (American Peace). Basically what this is about is that the U.S.'s dominance in the world translates to it being the World Cop On The Beat maintaining law and order -- at least prior to Dubya's and the neo-cons' disastrous fiascoes committed under their watch.