Conserving the long-term national interest

Can you conserve the long-term national interest?

Does it make sense to to regard the long-term national interest as a finite supply of something that you could fritter away?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Kirk#Principles

American historian and political theorist Russell Kirk developed six 'canons' of conservatism, which Russello (2004) described as follows:

1. a belief in a transcendent order, which Kirk described variously as based in tradition, divine revelation, or natural law;
2. an affection for the 'variety and mystery' of human existence;
3. a conviction that society requires orders and classes that emphasize 'natural' distinctions;
4. a belief that property and freedom are closely linked;
5. a faith in custom, convention, and prescription, and
6. a recognition that innovation must be tied to existing traditions and customs, which entails a respect for the political value of prudence.

Kirk said that Christianity and Western Civilization are "unimaginable apart from one another", and that "all culture arises out of religion. When religious faith decays, culture must decline, though often seeming to flourish for a space after the religion which has nourished it has sunk into disbelief."

Perhaps Islam would fulfill these six canons better than Christianity.