Historians,I have a question.

[southern democrat]

During WWII when FDR was running for re-election,did he run on a platform of selfishness and fear or service and courage?It seems to me ,Bush's strategy not only weakens the nation but it encouages the terrorists.By the president and vice president using fear politics they are helping the terrorist accomplish their goal.Also how could it rally the troops when it stresses them worrying about their families at home.

[RoyGBiv]

1. It's hard to make the comparison ...

Roosevelt's 1940 election was largely a referendum on how best to deal with domestic issues, particularly the economy. Republicans ran on a small government, no foreign entanglements platform. The Democrats ran on continuing with New Deal policies, expansive government to face the crisis, the relationship between world events and the US economy, i.e. pro-foreign entanglements, etc. The whole era was pretty much a settling period as the new political coalitions that took root in 1932 shook themselves out.

The '44 election was a different sort of animal. FDR mostly responded to personal attacks on him, and most famously his dog, whether a forth term was wasn't against the spirit of the Constitution, whether he was getting too old to serve, etc. but other than that he dealt more with internal disputes within his own party, particularly the elements that hated Henry Wallace. He answered by replacing Wallace with the more conservative Truman. The election was closer than ones in recent years, but it was never really in doubt.

As for fear, well, your question is self-evident. It was FDR who said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Shrub's message is exactly the opposite.

[southern democrat]

2. So it's greatness vs. goofyness?

[Twinkie]

3. "Historians, I have a question."

Don't tell my plastic surgeon, but I was around not too long after the period of time to which you refer. Roosevelt was President during a very hard time in American history. That war was make or break, big time. Every American knew it. No one asked what their country was going to do for them, just what more they could do themselves to help Johnny come marching home from a terrible war.
Everyone, including my Dad, who was an infantryman, had nagging fears and sometimes even doubts they were even going to be able to win that war. They knew they had to win it; they had seen what the Germans did when they invaded a country and could not bear to think of it coming to American soil. So, they beat it back on foreign soil before it could get to America. It was a different time, it was a similar time. . the best of times, the worst of times.

[Rose Siding]

4. "they beat it back on foreign soil before it could get to America"

That was possible in a conventional war. This isn't a conventional war.

Invading Iraq incited and bred new terrorists. Bush has given them a boost- a leg up. Removing Saddam's secular govt from the ME was high on bin laden's wish list, just as was getting the US out of SA.

What will be the next Bush concession to the terrorists?

[MsMagnificent]

5. Don't forget, FDR was a Democrat

so very clearly he was a girly-man
and very probably French AND 'hommasexual' too.

:P