FDR GREATEST PRESIDENT EVER. Whose with me?

you thank, or you think not?

Your kidding right? See my post under "FDR + his wife's relationship... " Womanizer, socialist come to my mind.

Well, he was certainly a greatly influential individual in many ways -- and it's hard to be perfect when you do quite so much, especially overcoming such obstacles as a cripling disability -- but there are a few things about him that I find a bit bothersome.

Firstly, there is his treatment of race issues: he was apparently a racist (though not much more than most in his time), and he did very little to help the status of America's Afro-Americans. You see, he relied heavily on Southern Democrats for the vote, and they were at the time predominantly of racist views.

Then there were the Jews in Europe: once Hitler came into power, large numbers of them tried desperately to take refuge in such countires as the United States, but FDR restricted their entry into the country. A few were lucky enough to get in (such as Einstein, due to his fame), but many were blocked from taking refuge until one of FDR's leading officials, who was himself Jewish, encouraged him to permit their entry.

Then of course there was his infamous treatment of the Japanese-Americans: multitudes of innocent Americans of Japanese descent were interred at camps during the war, destroying many of their lives.

And finally, there was his treatment of the war: war is a bad thing, I think everyone will agree in one way or another. WWII, however, was one of those cases in which it was virtually inevitable. It could have been significantly shortened if our and other countries had helped sooner: European nations were devastated by Hitler, China was bombed by the Japanese -- but FDR offered no assistance until we ourselves were attacked -- after which point it became in our own self-interests to enter the war.

Then came the Manhattan Project: the race with Nazi germany to build the atomic bomb. Sounds reasonable (it was Einstein's recommendation), but in early 1945, Germany surrendered, and the nuclear threat no longer existed. But FDR kept pushing the project, and if I'm not mistaken the devastating bombing of Hiroshima was his plan (although carried out by his successor Truman).

As for the depression, they say recovery was inevitable (economy always expands in the long run), and in 1938 we were in fact entering a depression once again. After that point, it was the war (ironically) that brought us out of it.

But he certainly did give his nation hope, and his social programs probably helped a lot of people. Meanwhile, his remarkable wife Eleanor became a crusader for the civil liberties that he himself neglected. I personally doubt whether there is such a thing as a bad person -- only bad qualities, which we all possess in one way or another. In our good qualities, meanwhile, we can all be a role model.

I'm not with you on this one.

First off, he didn't get us out of the GD - WW II did. In fact, he came in office in 32 and the GD was still in force until Pearl Harbor (41).

Secondly, why give him credit for winning the war? What was his involvement? Give it to Ike, Mac, and the other Generals, and of course the fighting soldiers.

Third, as a result of FDR, our government is now too bloated.

- The Truth is Out There, and I found it in Christ!

I absolutely agree.

FDR was a big government jack ass. Got us out of the depression? ha no. The Federal Reserve got us INTO the depression! The New Deal is garbage, whatever happened to a true free market? He was also against STATE'S RIGHTS. I'm a libertarian, so I could never endorse a moron like him.

RON PAUL 2008!

America needs fewer laws, not more prisons. – James Bovard

Actually, Hitler and the Japanese led us out of the Depression. FDR'S progams had very little little impact on the Depression.

And Lincoln led us through our greatest war.

And you need to learn how to spell.

Blaine in Seattle

Next to Franklin and Eleanor, all the rest of the 20th Century look like a bunch of emotionally self-indulgent candy asses.