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I~HEY~ EACH MONTH ~Ni~i,RL~2~i THE WORLD di I T~h~i~agazineforSerious Re" _,~,naive textl have ever seen OFFERS: .'~heMiorld E~Ipublishes themost compl··---- . betterperiodical· ina~y66years on thisp~,~tNo~nepub~"h~S toolfor me ~amesKrasowski~8v~falo,N.Y.IYsalearning CuRRar DearpotentialSubscriber: continuingtoleam? - a readerWho enjoys reader resourceawaits you· Are you a thena~,pleyetpowe~fu1 ,weI is"yes:'~erious Ifyour ^..~,~;hedmontWybytheWashin~onT~mes..,t·rrdateonthe most sig- t~"",antto keep "' ~~~ · ofhuman endeav- I~scalled TlteIhrorld E~forI.AndoeoPle it~s~yho Deoplewho love C··p·~.~-t~f~'~~exp~,,slyniti~ant';i~vn~7P;sman~ts.culNretosdenti~icbreI--"trr~dsofourtimeinevf~y~asped·- b,JsCOYC' ortorradai~dvalueleaming·If~hisdescribesym~he~Iurgeyou - from r--,_ ~hroI~eOft~ankind's ~n~o;mahon.isafasdnatingchapterinntheFln-goUI~~ ,~ld compares withit· developme"tQuite,imply,no otherperiod~ca~in Y- pho"~f~P~~""diU~w~z~o"~·magnlh-~ ~,r naee of fascinatingin-depth The~NorldE?·Iispacke~wi~hdawlingrrproductionss pluspageaiter life-chane3nt~~ipd~S~5~ ~JTLTVR~ amdescentfull-color andes~-ysma"Yart d;jli;c~exploreYV~c''~l-~thors, sbkntists, mensforallofus,bytheworld'sro~mostsd-~olars~and st~tesmen· phers,artists, 'o~TheWorldbS·iUSt ~EQDOK you,so~",,",tsee~oryo~~selfmbe~ve~he~n~aliNandv~J~'epackedu~~oWORLD ,~~35~pageissuc·~[o'ece~veyourlwk-f~ecopYavajlab~e'ssue.We'dsendyou ~henert rr~umtheattachedcoup,Sincerelyyours, r~~-""oDERN /JI,-t·-MortonA.Kaplan Editor andPublisher I want to receive a Risk·Free Trial Issue at no cost orobligation.If 1 like T~ World 6" I, my pricewill be $45 (reg- YES,ular cover price is $120 per year)for alleleven remaining issues. IfI amnot totally satisfied with my trial copy, 1will simplyreturn my invoice marked "cancel" and owe nothing. UJAABM Olyearfor$45 Obmonthsfor$aB PaymentMethod:C7 PaymentEnclosed( IBiUme O MSA/MCI IAMEX Name Address city State Zip CardNo. ~ Exp.Date signature VV~RLD&I APublicationof ~elllao~l~inRton&mIEeCorporation 3400 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 2W02 EDITOR’S COMMENT he feeling that American politics is badly broken—and broken because of the nefarious influence of money—goes back at least Tto the demagogic rhetoric of the seventh U.S. president, Andrew Jackson, though the sentiment was abroad in various, inchoate forms even before. More disturbing, perhaps, is that efforts to fix the problem, begin- ning with Jackson’s, have often had the effect of making things worse—or at least making them bad in a different way. As Gil Troy explains in this issue’s cover story, crusades and reforms intended to cleanse the political process have only inspired politicians and those who would influence them to develop more imaginative ways of raising and contributing money. Is Troy’s point, then, a counsel of despair? Not at all. For one thing, it should challenge the cynical conclusion that ours is a particularly corrupt age. For another, Troy’s long perspective should help us see that the con- nection between money and politics, while unbreakable, undergoes con- tinual change, reflecting large shifts in economy, culture, and society. Understanding those changes may be the wisest step toward limiting the worst abuses of the money-and-politics nexus. The most recent wrinkle in the story—though not unheard of in the past—is the alleged injection of foreign money into campaign politics, a possibility much explored in relation to President Clinton’s campaign finances. Whatever is finally proved, current investigations raise an impor- tant question: in the age of international business and global corporations, should we distinguish between foreign and domestic attempts to influence political outcomes? Would we be better off if the former were legalized and brought into the open? There are no easy answers. But Troy’s caution- ary tale suggests that democracy is a delicate machine, better maintained by vigilance and occasional modifications than by major overhauls. Editor: Jay Tolson The Wilson Quarterly (ISSN-0363-3276) is published in Deputy Editor: Steven Lagerfeld January (Winter), April (Spring), July (Summer), and Managing Editor: James H. Carman October (Autumn) by the Woodrow Wilson International Senior Editor: Robert K. Landers Center for Scholars at 901 D Street S.W., Suite 704, Literary Editor: Martha Bayles Washington, D.C. 20024. Indexed biennially. Subscriptions: Associate Editor: James M. Morris one year, $24; two years, $43. 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Anthony Appiah, Robert Darnton, Postmaster: Send all address changes toThe Wilson Quarterly, Nathan Glazer, Harry Harding, Elizabeth Johns, P.O. Box 420406, Palm Coast, FL 32142–0406. Microfilm Michael Lacey, John R. Lampe, Jackson Lears, copies are available from University Microfilms International, Robert Litwak Frank McConnell, Richard Rorty, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106. U.S. Blair Ruble, Ann Sheffield, S. Frederick Starr, newsstand distribution by Eastern News Distributors, Inc., Joseph Tulchin 2020 Superior Street, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 (for informa- Founding Editor: Peter Braestrup tion, call 1-800-221-3148). Visit our World Wide Web site at Publishing Director: Warren B. Syer http://wwics.si.edu. Direct advertising inquiries to: Bob Publisher: Kathy Read Rosen; Kalish, Quigley & Rosen, Inc.; 850 Seventh Avenue, Business Manager: Suzanne Napper New York, N.Y. 10019 Tel: (212) 399-9500, Circulation: Cary Zel, ProCirc, Miami, Fla. Fax: (212) 265-0986 2 WQ Summer 1997 SUMMER 1997 THE WILSON QUARTERLY Published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 14 MONEY AND POLITICS: The Oldest Connection by Gil Troy Would Abe Lincoln have raised an eyebrow over Bill Clinton’s guest list for the Lincoln bed- room? Probably not. Long ago, “Honest Abe” had his men generously sprinkle “material aid” among voters in New York. The author chronicles the colorful history of money and politics in America, showing that citizens’ attitudes have changed more than political realities. 50 A BALKAN COMEDY by William McPherson A royal wedding in Switzerland and a funeral in Bucharest are among the stops on the author’s search for clues to Romania’s remaking after the overthrow of communist strong- man Nicolae Ceaucescu. 34 THE MAN WHO WOULD RESCUE ART by David Levi Strauss Art history may be mired in theoretical trendiness or academic stodginess, but Leo Steinberg’s fiercely original readings of past and present works restore life to the meaning of tradition. 72 THE PLACES WE PLAY by J. B. Jackson What we play—and where we play—reflect some of our deepest cultural values, argues America’s foremost landscape historian. DEPARTMENTS 2 EDITOR’S COMMENT 4 CORRESPONDENCE 8 FINDINGS Porn Studies • The Medievalist Minority • Planet for Rent 10 AT ISSUE Absolutely 90 BOOKS Cold War History Borges: A Life The Handicap Principle 108 POETRY Anthony Hecht on Walter de la Mare 115 PERIODICALS The NAIRU Jacket Rethinking Welfare Mandela’s South Africa 141 RESEARCH REPORTS 144 Q FROM THE CENTER W cover Detail from an 1890 Joseph Keppler cartoon: None But Millionaires Need Apply—The Coming Style of Presidential Elections (originally printed in Puck). Design by Adrianne Onderdonk Dudden. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. USPS 346-670 Volume XXI Number 3 Printed in the U.S.A. CORRESPONDENCE Letters may be mailed to 901 D