Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

330 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

flexibleandsometimesfirm.Ina controversywithFranceoverreparations
dueAmericancitizensasa resultofillegalFrenchactionsduringthe
NapoleonicWars,hesometimeshintedatforcebutultimatelyaccepted
a soundcompromisesettlement.Becausethecountrybackedhim,his
threatswerecredibleandalarming;becausethecountrytrustedhim,he
couldaffordtocompromise.IndisputeswithGreatBritain,hehadan
assurancethatweakerfigurescouldnotmatch;havingbeenwoundedby
a Britishsaberasa youngprisonerintheRevolution,andthenhaving
defeatedtheBritishatNewOrleans,hecouldnotcrediblybecalledsoft
onEngland.Hewasthereforefree,toanunusualdegreeamongAmeri-
canpresidents,tomakeforeignpolicyonthemerits,andtoletthechips
fallwheretheymay.
The freedom that comes from winning the trust ofJacksonian
AmericawasanimportantassetforanumberofotherAmericanpresi-
dents.HadLincolnlived,hispersonalprestigewouldprobablyhavecar-
riedReconstructionthroughwithlesssuffering,andperhapsevenwitha
betterfinalresultforthefreedmen.ThetwoRooseveltsandEisenhower
werethreepresidentswhowereabletoharnesspublictrusttothetaskof
carryingoutaneffectiveforeignpolicy.Itwas Nixon'santicommunist
credentialswithJacksonianAmericathatmadehisopeningtoChina
possible;Reagan'sJacksonianbackingenabledhimtomakethemost
sweepingdisarmamentproposalsofanyAmericanpresidentduringthe
ColdWar.
Presidentswholacksuchpersonalrespectanddignityhavesuffered
enormously.Theiroptionsareoftennarrowpreciselybecausetheydonot
enjoypublictrust.ItwouldhavebeenmucheasierforReagantoreturn
thePanamaCanalthanitwasforJimmyCarter.APresidentHubert
HumphreyprobablycouldnothavenegotiatedanopeningtoChina.A
sonordaughterofa Teamstersfamilywouldhaveaneasiertimesellinga
tradeagreementthanthepamperedSt.Albans-bredsonofa senator;
someonewhocanspeakdirectlyandconvincinglytotheAmericanpeo-
ple,regardlessofbackground,canwinbroadpublicsupportfordifficult
butnecessarystepsinforeignanddomesticpolicy.
Ifourleadershipclasscontinuestoproducepoliticianswhohaveonly
weakclaimsonthe respectofJacksonianAmerica, thenthenation's
abilitytofollowaneffectiveforeignpolicywillbeseriouslydiminished.
Inthemeantime,thetaskfacingserioussrudentsofAmericanpolicyand
thosewhoaspiretoleadthenationis tofindwithineachoftheenduring
traditionsofAmericanstatesmanshipwaystospeaktotheaspirations