Who, pray tell, would be following?

You don't help anybody learn by doing all his homework for him. Unless you're trying to teach him abject dependency.

On the other hand, if we go in and fight all our battles in person from the very first, we'll eventually control the entire world. And then leadership will be a moot point. There'll be nobody left for us to lead. At least not until we invent warp drive. And then we can go out there and play Captain Kirk. Or Zap Brannigan.

A world government, with its capital in Washington, DC. There are worse scenarios. But even so, are you sure that's what you want? Because that's exactly where this leads.