Tiger, Tiger,BurningBright 261againsttheCatholicChurchnowworkverywellwithCatholicsonall
kindsofsocial,cultural,andevenreligiousendeavors,soweareseeinga
steadyerosionoftheracialbarriers.
Jacksonian America performs an additional service by making a
major,ifunheralded,contributiontoAmerica'svaunted"softpower."
ItisnotsimplytheJeffersoniancommitmenttolibertyandequality;
theWilsonianrecordofbenevolence,anticolonialism,andsupportfor
democracy; oreven thecommercialsuccessthatfollows Hamiltonian
policies,thatattractspeopletotheUnitedStates.Perhapsbeyondall
theseitisthespectacleofa countrythatisgoodforaveragepeopletolive
in,a placewhereordinarypeoplecananddoexpressthemselvescultur-
ally,economically,andspirituallywithoutanyinhibition.Theconsumer
lifestyleoftheUnitedStates,andtheconsequencesofa federalpolicy
thatenrichesthemiddleclassandmakesita classofhomeownersand
automobiledrivers,winsthecountrymanyadmirersabroad.Thepopu-
larculture,theresult,forthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,ofmillionsof
ordinarypeoplehavingenoughmoneyintheirpocketsandtimeontheir
handstosupporta popularculturethathasmoreresourcesthanthehigh
cultureofthearistocracyandelite,iswhathundredsofmillionsoffor-
eignerslovemostabouttheUnitedStates,anditsdisseminationmakes
scoresofmillionsofforeignersfeelsomehow connectedtoorevenpart
oftheUnitedStates.Thecultural,social, andreligiousvibrancyand
unorthodoxy ofJacksonian America-notexcluding its fondness for
suchpastimesasprofessionalwrestling-isoneofthecountry'smost
importantforeignpolicyassets.
ItmayalsobeworthnotingthattheimagesofAmericanpropensity
toviolenceandofthecapabilitiesofAmericanmilitaryandintelligence
forcesandoperativesthataresowidelydistributedinthemediaproba-
blyalsoincreaseinternationalrespectforAmericanstrength,anddis-
courageattemptstotestit.
Thisbasicallypositiveassessmentwouldbeincompletewithouta
descriptionofthetwomostseriousproblemsthattheJacksonianschool
perenniallyposesforAmericanpolicymakers.Bothofthemspringfrom
thewideideologicalandculturaldifferencesthatdividetheJacksonian
outlookfromtheotherschools.
ThefirstproblemisthegapbetweenHamiltonianandWilsonian
promises andJacksonianperformance. Theglobally oriented,order-
buildingschoolsseeAmericanpowerasa resourcetobeexpendedinpur-
suitoftheirfar-reachinggoals.Manyofthecommitmentstheywishto