Can we get the politics out of governing?

[Ski]

FDR even faced criticism in WWII and right before the war as well. His domestic policies were not working well up to the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Thomas Fleming's "The New Dealers War" is probably the best account I've read on opposition to FDR in this time period.

[120mm]

I've seen some accounts that are reminiscient of today, especially FDR's extremely questionable Naval campaign against the Germans prior to December 7th.

Seems there was also some rumbling against declaring war on Germany, because the "real enemy" was Japan, and not just by German-American Bund spokespersons, either.

I think you could draw a loose parallel between declaring war on Germany then and invading Iraq today, at least in terms of justification. Not that I'd agree with it....

[Tacitus]

Thomas Fleming's "The New Dealers War" is probably the best account I've read on opposition to FDR in this time period.

Speaking of Thomas Fleming, he also wrote a scathing book on Woodrow Wilson's administration in World War I called "The Illusion of Victory." I've seen him occasionally on BookTV on C-Span talking about the Revolutionary War times, but not yet on The New Deal or WWI book.

I started the WWI book a while back but only got a little ways into it before I got sidetracked. I'll pick it back up when I have more free time. I don't know that Mr. Fleming has written anything about Iraq yet, or not. The parallels with Iraq are so obvious (fighting in the name of planting democracy in foreign lands) that he might not be able to restrain himself. He REALLY dislikes Woodrow Wilson and his administration, that comes through loud and clear.

That title, "The Illusion of Victory" pretty much tells you where he's going with his examination of our role in WWI. An inability to consolidate tactical military success on the battlefield into a postwar political victory is not exactly a new thing in American history, Mr. Fleming would likely say.

[Ski]

Tactitus

That's another great book. Really shoves the bat up Wilson's 4th point of contact and then breaks it off sideways. Between the false political promises to keep us out of war, the abolition of civil liberties at home, and Wilson's belief that a supre-national government was possible after WWI, Fleming just crushes Wilson.

And rightly so. Wilson was the worst President since Buchanan.