Collapse of US Dollar?

Is the US Dollar on its way down? If you've been following the nation's fiscal policies and spending at all, you've no doubt seen articles such as this one, or this one, foreshadowing the possible forfeiture of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency.  I guess the dollar's only saving grace, is that there is no other nation's currency ready and able to step up and take it's place.  For many of us, the dollar has always been the world's reserve currency, but the older generation know that before WWII, the British Pound held that status.  After the war though, the pound's power declined, and the US dollar moved to the forefront.  Pretty much all of Britain's economic troubles from the 50's to the 70's can be attributed to this fact.  If and when the same thing happens to the US dollar, I'm afraid that the whole nation will be in a world of hurt.  Our most recent economic troubles will be just a drop in the bucket if the US government doesn't stop hemorrhaging money at the current exponential rate.  The recent government shutdown was a step in the right direction, but it is far from over.  If the US wants to stay as the world powerhouse that it is, even more drastic changes will be needed.