The Jacksonian Betrayal

A reader writes:

The interesting thing about Bush’s Wilsonian intervention policy is that he was able to secure large scale support from Jacksonian America to make it happen, which is highly skeptical of Wilsonian foreign policy endeavors.  How he did it will probably be the ticket to someone’s PhD. in history someday, but in short he sold Jacksonians on a threat, promised “Shock and Awe” against the enemy, and demanded nothing short of victory.  Bush viewed Jacksonians as simpletons with a bloodlust, and used their patriotism to further an admittedly clueless strategy to reshape the Middle-East.  As far as our reasons for being in Iraq go, the only issue left to sell to Jacksonians is victory over a multitude of fifth rate bad guys.

Those of us who identify with Jacksonian America, and the legitimate need for a total national commitment to war from time to time just don’t buy it any more. The Bush/McCain GOP is going to have a hard time bringing Jacksonian America along for another four to eight years of pandering and failure.

How did he do it? The key, I think, to his narrow 2004 victory was the invocation of religious loyalty. It is sometimes astonishing to see how much damage one president can do to so much in so little a time.