[The_Rorschach]

You can consider anything that strikes your fancy, but you're either ignorant of what Imperialism is (a good example would be Nipon during WW II) or the level of your own country's influence in world affairs. Since WW 2 the US has not entered into a war. Korea and Vietnam were 'peace keeping operations.' Somalia, Kosovo, Iraq et al. are classified as 'low intensity conflicts' and in none of the above were we awarded for our trouble with US territories or occupational provisos. The State of Hawaii was America's last Territory. An accord was signed -in '45 I believe- which restricted America from possessing Territories, and therefore we are left with the choice of offering Statehood or Salutations.

An American Empire would be rather impractical at his point, and legally improbably.