254 SPECIALPROVIDENCEwar.Asa result,despitethebottomlesscriminalityoftheNaziregime,
theGermanarmythatserveditsowellandsolongwona measureof
respectfromtheAmericans(andtheirBritishcousins).Gen.ErwinRom-
melisconsideredsomethingofa militaryheroamongJacksonians-an
honorableenemy.NoJapanesewarriorachievedthisstatus,despitethe
considerablepersonalcourageoftheirsoldiers,theaudacityoftheircom-
manders,andtheirsometimesbrilliantperformanceinthefaceofover-
whelmingAmericanmaterialsupremacy.
IftheGermansavoided.exposuretotheutmostfuryofanaroused
Americanpeopleatwar,theywereneverthelesssubjectedtothefull,
ferociousscopeoftheviolencea fullyarousedAmericanpublicopinion
willsustain,andeveninsiston,inthecourseofanhonorablewar.
Jacksonianopinionhasstrongconvictionsonthesubjectoftheuseof
force.ManyofthesedatefromwellbeforetheRevolution,andwereon
displayasearlyasKingPhilip'sWar,betweenthesettlersandtheIndi-
ansinseventeenth-centuryMassachusetts.
Thefirstruleofwaris thatwarsmustbefoughtwithallavailable
force.Jacksonianopinionfindstheuseoflimitedforcedeeplyrepugnant,
andconsidersthephrase"limitedwar"tobeoxymoronic.Thereisonly
onewaytofight:Youmusthitthemashardasyoucanasfastasyoucan
withasmuchasyoucan.Nothingelsemakessense.ThatwasOliver
Cromwell'sstrategyinIreland;itwasAndrewJackson'sstrategyinthe
CreekwarsagainsttheIndians.ItwasDouglasMacArthur'sstrategyin
Korea,anditwaswhatJacksoniansdesperatelywantedtodoinVietnam.
Itwastherepeatedfailureofpoliticalauthoritiestofightthiswayin
VietnamthatultimatelyerodedJacksoniansupportforthewar.While
theotherthreeschools,fordifferentreasons,embracetheideaoflimits
onbothone'sobjectivesinwarandthedegreeofforceoneispreparedto
employ,Jacksoniansseewaras a switchthatiseitheronoroff. They
don'tliketheideaofviolenceonadimmerswitch.Eitherthestakesare
importantenoughtofightfor,inwhichcaseyoushouldfightwithevery-
thingyouhave,ortheyaren'timportantenoughtofightfor, inwhich
caseyoushouldmindyourownbusinessandstayhome.Toengageina
limitedwarisoneofthecostliestpoliticaldecisionsanAmericanpresi-
dentcanmake;neitherTrumannorJohnsonsurvivedit.
ThesecondkeyJacksonianconceptaboutwaristhatthestrategicand
tacticalobjectiveofAmericanforcesistoimposeourwillontheenemy
withasfewAmericancasualtiesaspossible.Thecodeofmilitaryhonor
doesnotturnwarintosport;itisdeadlyearnestbusiness.Thisisnotthe