"smart power" my ass

using high-tech toys to kill people in foreign countries is not "change you can believe in". the extent of being 'casualty averse' is a good barometer for decisions concerning using military means for foreign policy ends, to wit: "if a policy isn't worth getting many of your own people killed, it isn't worth doing in the first place" which of course makes every use of the US Army beyond the boundaries of the United States, with few exceptions, counter-productive.

for the 'exceptions'

Pancho Villa expedition 1916
Afghanistan 2001 (before 'mission creep')

the War of 1812 does not qualify. starting a war by invading another country negates the self-defense when the tide turns against you. see also: Maryland/Pennsylvania the summer of 1863
(remember i said US ARMY)