Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
Dave, do you think if Roosevelt was as aggressive as Bush, Hitler would have second thoughts? Or a different plan? Not have attacked the eastern front until England had been invaded?
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Well, that is hard to say. GWB relies heavily on his advisors, and as we have seen, when one leaves, he replaces the person with a sense of urgency. Roosevelt, as every president does, relied on his advisors, but he seems to be a man who could make decisions on his own, and when he thought he was right, he would back his own gut feeling. GWB seems to suffer from a perpetual case of stomach flu, and comes across as uncertain of his own convictions. Has GWB made any decision based on his own experience and expertise (ie. independent)?
A GWB in 38 would have been surrounded by isolationists, and had public opinion against taking any aggressive action - I realise this. I was just wondering if he would have had the balls to go against the majority, and getting the US involved in Europe earlier. As far as Japan goes, he would have done what Roosevelt did - cut trade in raw materials to Japan, and hope that this would give the US time to tackle Japan later. The problem with that thinking is that it is far more difficult to remove an enemy from their entrenched positions, than it is to stop them establishing their hold in the first place. An entrenched, established enemy is always expensive to take on.
We should not forget that while 1938 predates Pearl Harbor, and the bombing of Britain, the President did have some history to consider (WWI), and Japan had been pushing through Korea, into China and Manchuria during the 30s, so its expansionist policies were well known. Also, don't forget that we had the rise of fascism in the 30s, in several countries. Franco was close to winning in Spain, Mussolini was being very vocal in his expansionist views.
I guess I am saying that Bush talks big now, but would he have done so if faced with a world similar to the conditions of 1938. Is 9/11 the only catalyst that was capable of getting Bush moving? If you had not experienced 9/11, would Bush have been an easy going President like Clinton?