Thanks Craig, after re-reading your post I realize that you weren't quite saying the exact things I thought you were.
The CB band is quite versatile, there is no reason that given optimal band conditions, a person couldn't talk to anyone anywhere in the world, operating a good CB with good antenna at 5 watts. A few field days ago, my friends and I had a 10-meter (just a few megahertz higher than CBs...if that) station setup operating off of a shortened CB vertical. The rig was putting out less that 5 watts, but was well tuned. The moment of the day was working
San Joaquin Valley from our measly station hidden in the Ohio valley.
-Mikey P