Will the world see the likes of Lincoln, TR, FDR, Churchill ever again?

[Lincoln Republican]

Will the world see the likes of such great statesmen and visionary leaders as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D Roosevelt, Winston Churchill ever again?

Please discuss.

[Maxwell]

I'm not sure I entirely agree with the premise, but nevertheless, yes, obviously, we will.

[Paul Kemp]

Those are four completely different people.

[The Free North]

I like my habeas corpus the way it is thank you very much.

[Lief 🗽]

Yes, he's currently serving as President of the United States.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

With the benefit of time all politicians become statesmen.

[Likely Voter]

Would any of them be seen as so great if they weren't all leaders during horrible conflicts (with possible exception of TR). Let's hope we never have another war that tests our leaders like that.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Winston Churchill was one of the worst monsters of the 20th century.

[KCDem]

It could be argued that all four men were HPs so stop trying to make them happen again.

[Türkisblau]

I believe that requires the right conditions to be put in place.

Lincoln- Civil War

TR- Trusts & Instituting Progressive Reforms

FDR- Great Depression & WWII

Churchill- WWII

So really what you're talking about is will we get another great leader? Absolutely, however a true statesmen such as those mentioned above will only come about if the country is ready for that change of direction.

[Mr. Morden]

Yes, we will.  An international terrorist organization known as "Cobra" will raid the tombs of great leaders such as those listed above (as well as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the Hun, etc.), extracting DNA samples which can then be synthesized into a genetically engineered Cobra leader named "Serpentor".  If only Cobra Commander had been more competent, we wouldn't have had to resort to such an extreme remedy.

[Foucaulf]

In all honesty, I think those four seem insignificant compared to someone like Deng Xiaoping - who, to some people, fought to the top of world's largest political organization, negotiated peace with bitter enemies and whose policies lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. They probably pale in magnitude to one or two Nehru-Gandhis, too.

[Indy Texas]

Would any of them be seen as so great if they weren't all leaders during horrible conflicts (with possible exception of TR). Let's hope we never have another war that tests our leaders like that.

Yes, instead let's hope for more wars that leave our leaders discredited and unpopular, like basically every war that has come after World War II.

[Maxwell]

In all honesty, I think those four seem insignificant compared to someone like Deng Xiaoping - who, to some people, fought to the top of world's largest political organization, negotiated peace with bitter enemies and whose policies lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. They probably pale in magnitude to one or two Nehru-Gandhis, too.

Yes, in the light Lincoln and those others are viewed, Deng Xiaoping should probably be given similar credit. Not that I would, but under the context of getting stuff done, yes.

[7,052,770]

Yes, but we won't know it until years after he/she is out of office because of hyperpartisanship and Internet echo chambers that reinforce extremist beliefs.

No guarantee, but there's a pretty good chance Obama is considered a legend like this a few decades from now.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Yes, he's currently serving as President of the United States.

No way.  The times have not been dire enough for anyone to be raised up to the level of Lincoln, FDR, and Churchill, and Obama certainly is not anywhere near as energetic as TR.

[Mr. Smith]

Obama,...no he would've had to actually gone 100% with 2008 to get that status.

[© tweed]

Western History would have to make its return.  we're still in the End of History, seemingly eternal liberal democracy/market capitalism era in the West.  it'll take some earthquakes to shake loose those certainties and allow History to re-emerge.

and TR doesn't belong on that list, 'all' he did was set up a skeleton regulatory state and push hard on the imperial gas pedal.

[Yelnoc]

Western History would have to make its return.  we're still in the End of History, seemingly eternal liberal democracy/market capitalism era in the West.  it'll take some earthquakes to shake loose those certainties and allow History to re-emerge.

The End Of History ended last decade.

[© tweed]

Western History would have to make its return.  we're still in the End of History, seemingly eternal liberal democracy/market capitalism era in the West.  it'll take some earthquakes to shake loose those certainties and allow History to re-emerge.

The End Of History ended last decade.

9/11?  I don't agree.  End of History is a Western phenomenon, always was.  the thing about Communism was that it grew out of the heart of Enlightenment philosophy and always had allies in West, some in powerful places.  

political Islamism doesn't have a Western bone in its body -- all it has done is provide an excuse for throwing more money into the military-industrial pit and for tightening the surveillance state.  but those are mere adjustments, not structural shifts.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I should hope that the world won't have to see the likes of Churchill again, because in any situation not involving total war he was completely hapless at the very best.

[Sbane]

I really hope we don't see another churchill.

[The Mikado]

A political leader desperately needs a massive crisis to not be categorized as a caretaker president. Our presidents know that...look at how Bill Clinton tried to build up Slobodan Milosevic into a dragon he could slay, or George W. Bush doing the same with the Taliban and then Saddam Hussein, or Barack Obama with the first Muammar Qaddafi and then the Islamic State. All of them failed miserably at making their punching bag seem like any sort of threat to the United States, though admittedly all five listed were incredibly bad actors.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

No, they're all dead.

[MurrayBannerman]

Leaders of their caliber? Yes.

Michael Jordan? No.