Looks like I was premature on this one. About 15 minutes after I originally posted this diary yesterday afternoon, Bush's insults to FDR started making waves. I decided to pull my post and rework it a bit. It's a little compare and contrast of Bush's vs FDR's records, focused mostly on the "War on Terror," which looks pathetic compared to FDR's achievements in WWII.
Give it a read and let's ask ourselves:
What other ways could we say that Bush is the Anti-Roosevelt?
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Sixty years ago today, German President Karl Dönitz surrendered to Allied forces, one week after Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker. That day marked the end of combat in Europe. Three months later, Japan unconditionally surrendered to the United States. The total amount of time between Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and its surrender was 1351 days.
On May 20, 2005, the same number of days will have passed since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
In those 1351 days of American action in World War II, Franklin Roosevelt was able to fight on two fronts and vanquish two of the most powerful, highly industrialized countries on the planet. At the end of that time, the United States had transformed into an industrial, military and economic superpower, leaving behind the Great Depression, diversifying its workforce, and gaining a great amount of diplomatic and cultural respect throughout the world.
In stark contrast to President Roosevelt's masterful handling of those complex and dangerous times, George W. Bush's record in the days since September 11, 2001 could hardly be more opposite.
Despite controlling the world's most highly funded and most technologically advanced military force, President Bush has been unable to find, let alone capture, the world's most wanted man: Osama bin Laden, a man who reportedly needs kidney dialysis and has a $50 million bounty on his head. His ragtag band of militiamen, al-Qaeda, still make the U.S. jump every time they say "boo."
What's more telling is that Hitler had been dead for 3 months at this point in World War II, yet Osama is still free to issue statements in order in influence American elections. As of Feb. 7, 2005, he has outlasted Hitler against the force of the United States.
Instead of celebrating victory with parades down Main Street in every American town, our armed forces are bogged down in two very costly stalemates in underdeveloped counties whose power is dwarfed by our own. Meanwhile, the American economy has gone from faltering to staggering and our diplomatic and cultural reputation are in tatters across the globe, a particularly egregious feat considering the outlay of international support and sympathy following 9/11.
National security is the one issue that Bush consistently gets majority approval from the American people. All he really has to show for his time (and ours) is blustery talk and very few tangible results.
Let's make sure America knows that.
World War II still resonates with the American public as the USA's finest hour. As May 20th approaches, let's bring this subject up and remind people than Bush is no Roosevelt, even as he tries to tarnish his legacy. Point out how incompetent Bush (and his Republican cohorts) must be to over-extend our military, turn huge surpluses into huge deficits, bungle the economy and wreck our reputation... and STILL not be capable of bringing justice to Public Enemy Number One or decisively win a military conflict.
This argument will only get stronger in the days past May 20th, as long as Osama is alive and free from justice and our troops occupy foreign soil.
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So what else is there?