Other democratic countries don't have the influence and power that the United States does (for better or worse). Consider the Cold War (which really wasn't tha

Other democratic countries don't have the influence and power that the United States does (for better or worse). Consider the Cold War (which really wasn't that long ago) where there was a real possibility of the destruction of the country, or 9/11 where the country banded together to fight a perceived threat. Keeping the United States as a top world power is obviously going to be of interest to Americans, and national defense is a part of that.