gorkay
Jr. Member
Posts: 995
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« on: September 12, 2007, 02:54:08 PM » |
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It's almost pointless to write anything more about him after all that has already been said and written, but:
I consider him to have been the greatest president this country has ever had. He made his share of mistakes, certainly, but he also did more than his share of great things. He was also a man of great personal courage who had the gift to inspire and the wisdom to seek the advice of the country's greatest minds. No president has ever surrounded himself with a better bunch of advisers, and it is worth noting that he wasn't shy to call on conservative Democrats and Republicans when he felt they had something to contribute. He even used the talents of two men who had run against him, Frank Knox and Wendell Willkie.
I've always been amused by the hatred of conservatives, so-called free-market capitalists, and the rich for him, when in truth he saved the captialist system in this country from itself and may have saved us from a revolution. The New Deal programs didn't all work, but they were largely successful, and they kept the country from economic and psychological collapse until the economy improved. His bold experimentation stands in stark contrast to the timidity of most politicians, especially contemporary ones.
Roosevelt's second major accomplishment was his exceptional leadership during the war. I can't think of anyone who could have done it better. His ability to spot talented military leadership and put it in the right place at the right time was phenomenal, as was his ability to juggle all the egos involved and keep everyone relatively happy. There is no greater tribute to his skills in this area than the fact that he was able to deal successfully with MacArthur-- who else could say that? FDR was also a first-rate military strategist who contributed significantly to the planning of the war. He changed America forever, and changed the presidency forever.
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