Bernard-Henri Levy

Bernard-Henri Levy is a rarity--a major French intellectual who likes America. His latest book, American Vertigo, is about his travels throughout the U.S. While I admire his enthusiasm, I think he often misses the point. Most French intellectuals hate America for the wrong reasons, but he likes us for the wrong reasons.

Here's a good example. He tells a story of a small group of people who start a successful campaign to prevent Wal-Mart from coming to their town. In this, he sees the vibrancy of American democracy. Well sure, there's that...

But to me, one of the great things about America is the freedom we offer, including to our entrepreneurs. You can start with a little money and a big idea, and, like Sam Walton, have the biggest company in the world before you're done. You do this through hard work and ingenuity--mostly by giving the people what they want, while the government interferes as little as possible.

That a few busybodies can exploit the powerful levers of government to prevent consumers from getting to make a free choice, then, is not necessarily an American triumph.

(I love Democracy, but it doesn't mean I love the result of every vote.)

I wonder what Levy would think of a guy like Tom Monaghan. There's the entrepreneurial side, who made it possible for America to get a pizza fast, hot and cheap. Then there's the activist side, who wants to create a place to live that fits within his religious ideals. Levy would probably oppose both.