I know we've had this discussion before but I can't remember how long ago or where in the Archives we buried it. And Ryan a couple of posts ago repeated his top five as Washington, Lincoln, Adams, Jefferson and Reagan, not in that particular order.
Being the aficionado of WW2 you are, how can you not have FDR there?
I completely understand and do not wish to revisit the Great Depression debates. But the same laurels you give Reagan for the Cold War, shouldn't they be given to FDR as well for the greatest defense of democracy on the history of the planet?
He did EVERYTHING you admired Reagan for. He manipulated public opinion to push his programs through Congress. He may very well be considered the Father of the Executive Order. Without the consent of Congress he initiated Lend/Lease. From 1937 on he guided the country towards the coming war. He appeased no one and despised appeasement as a policy. In terms of foreign policy he WAS Reagan when Reagan was calling games for the AAA Iowa Cubs in Des Moines, IA.
Should I even mention the whole 4 term thing?
(A complete aside and a thought for a future thread: Could Reagan have been re-elected in 1988? My short answer is yes.)
Whatever problems and ideological differences you can have with the man from the '32 and '36 terms, his '40 and '44 terms prove the top five caliber of the presidency. And since this era seems to be universally hailed as the Bund's favorite in the American tapestry, shouldn't the man at the Executive wheel driving the bus get the credit?
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