FDR didn't go after Germany; Germany declared war on U.S.

FDR didn't go after Germany; Germany declared war on U.S.
EDITOR:
I thought I'd let it slide, but I can't.
I feel compelled to protect the good name of Franklin Roosevelt after reading a letter in these pages Monday in which the writer attempted to equate the leadership and judgment of our current president to that of the greatest president of the 20th century. Spinning of this sort would indeed leave the 32nd president spinning in his grave.
First, let's get the facts straight. Unless you're a frat boy from Animal House, you know that the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbor. That much the writer got right. More importantly, however, after the sudden and deliberate attack by Japan, Mr. Roosevelt did not -- as the writer suggests -- say "excuse me" to Japan and ship all our forces first to Europe to defeat tyranny. Threats to freedom were global.
FDR didn't ask his Pacific Theater commanders to hold on and wait while he took care of this annoying threat to democracy on the European continent. U.S. Naval and marine victories at Midway and Guadalcanal happened long before the first U.S. Army boots hit the shores of North Africa in November 1942. Granted, the full weight of America's "great arsenal of democracy," as FDR put it, was not felt in the Pacific until the "Hitler first" campaign was completed, but nevertheless it was a war waged gallantly on two fronts. No one will ever accuse Franklin Roosevelt of taking his eye off the ball in dealing with Japan.
In contrast, let's remember that after September 11, the Bush administration correctly targeted the Al- Qaida haven of Afghanistan and did not instead go running off to invade Iraq. Unfortunately our effort and intensity in the fight on terror was neither elevated nor sustained at a reasonable level in Afghanistan, and consequently Osama bin Laden remains at large.
I think it's also important to remember that Germany and Italy formally declared war first on the U.S. and we swiftly replied in kind on December 11th, 1941. Three days prior we had likewise declared war on Japan a little more than 24 hours after the unprovoked and dastardly attack on Pearl. Our enemies thrust their aggression upon us, we responded. Mr. Bush should pay closer attention to how that works, particularly with respect to Iraq.
One other point of history that has been overlooked in the debate over Iraq. Once upon a time there was this tyrannical ruler who suppressed all opposition to him, and his country harbored many, many weapons of mass destruction. Sound familiar so far? Nuclear warheads were pointed up our nostrils 90 miles away in Cuba 42 years ago this month. Did the United States invade? I don't' think so. Did we take our case to the U.N? Yep, and Ambassador Adlai Stevensen had excellent intelligence reports as opposed to the murky research Secretary of State Colin Powell was given. Did diplomacy and back-channel negotiations win the day for freedom and prevent nuclear holocaust at the hands of extreme ideologues? Well, we're here to tell about it. So why did this not serve President Bush as an example of the right way to do things? My guess is a good Cuban cigar isn't as sexy as a barrel of crude, but again that's just my guess.
So to anyone who thinks George W. Bush is using the same good judgment today that Franklin Delano Roosevelt exercised during another great time of peril, I can only say there's a lot of people still around today who knew President Roosevelt, and W, sir, is no FDR.
CHRIS TRAVERS
Youngstown
Sign thieves tell a story
EDITOR:
I would like to address the person responsible for stealing the Bush-Cheney signs off of lawns in the Brownlee Woods area. Your actions are just as despicable and in line with your coveted candidate. Just one more reason for people to vote for Bush. We won't steal your yard signs.
DAN McCOY
Youngstown