Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you....

I am convinced that Andrew Jackson is one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, and we sure could use him right now. As a student of history Jackson has always had a special place in my heart as the hero from the Battle of New Orleans, to the two term president whose belief in America was as strong or stronger than any other person who ever sat in the oval office. And it was certainly demonstrably stronger than our current presidents, Jackson would never have referred to America as "they", it was always "we" and "us".

His story is one that epitomizes what it means to be American, and how this land, more than any other place in the history of the world, is truly the land of opportunity. Jacksons ascendancy is an incredble story. Born before there even was an America somewhere in either North/South Carolina (to this day it is uncertain). Jackson was an orphan who never knew his father, and lost his mother and brothers during the American Revolution. He had little to no formal education and yet rose to the highest office in the land, and while he held that office he transformed and transmorgrified (to borrow a word from Joe Clark) the office of the president into what it is today. Before Jackson, the president was seen as subservient to Congress, a mere roleplayer, but Jackson was a man whose interminable will would not allow him to be a roleplayer so he moved the office of the presidency to center stage.

In perhaps his two biggest battles Jackson showed unflinching will power and determination. He defeated Nicholas Biddle and the Bank of the United States, as well as defeating perhaps the biggest villain in American history--John Calhoun. His battle with the bank has been debated for decades, since immediately after allowing the charter to expire and withdrawing the deposits the country went in to a panic and sent the economy in to a tailspin. Jackson truly felt he was sticking up for the "every man"; he was steadfast in his belief that the bank represented nothing but greed and corruption. Its sole reason for existence was to benefit the priveleged at the expense of the commoner. It is tough not to notice how the current economic crisis mirrors exactly what Jackson was fighting against.

The Richard Fulds, Vikram Pandits, and Joseph Cassanos of the world have made billions of dollars (those three alone probably made a billion agrregate) at the expense of the rest of us. They used their banks to peddle influence, make obscene amounts of money for themselves, then pass off obscene amounts of debt to the rest of us....just as Old Hickory feared.

In his battle with Calhoun, Jackson faced the toughest challenge of his presidency, and sadly it was a battle that would eventually cost America over 600,000 lives. Calhoun and the South (specifically Charleston SC) passed a nullification law, essentially stating that they could nullify any federal law they chose, in this case the collection of tariff duties. There was serious talk in SC about secession, and armed insurrection over the tariff issue (almost 30 years before they would try to secede over slavery). It was Jackson who voiced the belief that Lincoln would later invoke. It was he who said "Disunion by armed force is treason", that it would be treated as such, and that he would smash it down with armed force if he himself had to lead the Army in to battle. Ultimately Calhoun and SC backed down, but the same secession talk reared its ugly head three decades later. For the time being Jackson had preserved the Union and there was nothing Jackson believed in more than the Union. Jackson would have happily sacrificed his life for America, you need not look any further than his role as a General in the Army to prove that point. He was by all accounts well respected and beloved by the men under his command, but he was also incredibly tough and never thought twice about hanging deserters. He happily placed himself in harms way to protect the country he held so dear.

It is an odd symbolism compared to President Obama is it not? Jackson would endure any harship and risk his own life to defend America, but Obama said he will not water board a terrorist even if it means savings thousands of American lives. Recent documents released show that certain interrogation techniques used by the CIA post 9-11 prevented the loss of American life, and thwarted disgusting acts of terrorism attempted by a despicable enemy. I would volunteer to let myself be water boarded if it meant it would save the lives of my friends and family, and I think any respectable American would do the same. So why is it Obama feels the need to put more lives in jeopardy? Does he think it will get him more respect abroad? I would submit respect isn't something you ask for, it is something you demand.

When France decided not to pay the US reparations that had been agreed upon after the war of 1812 Jackson felt this was an insult to the country and an attempt to undermine its position in the world, so he made it clear that the debt would be honored. He did not travel to France, grovel at their feet, refer to his fellow countrymen as "they", and ask to be treated with respect....he demanded it, and he got it. If Jackson were alive today he would not travel the globe apologizing to the Muslim world, and ask them for forgiveness. Can anyone tell me what it is Obama is apologizing for?

It's times like these that make me wish Jackson was still around. To borrow as phrase from Paul Simon (with a slight change) "Where have you gone Andrew Jackson? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.".