Doris Kearns Goodwin on FDR tonight: "He was an internationalist in an isolationist age."

[pampango]

For years FDR could see that what Germany was doing in Europe and Japan in Asia was going to require American involvement. As great an orator and political leader as he was, he could not do much to reverse the prevailing isolationism. No matter what Japan did to China or Germany did to Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Norway and the USSR, he could not get the US to budge - until Japan brought the war to our door.

Tomorrow's episode will be intriguing to see how he dealt with the outbreak of war in Europe when Germany invaded Poland and then France. It must have been a very frustrating time for him.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. What an episode tonight. "I Welcome Their Hatred" quote showed up. I am in awe of the man.

It was different times, politics were different, the world was different....

Or were they/was it?

For all of his flaws, he was a magnificent president and was certainly in the right place at the right time.

[Major Hogwash]

2. I don't know who Doris Kearns Goodwin is.

But, it seems to me that she was far too kind to George W. Bush back when she was asked about his administration.
So, her making rather obvious comments about FDR in today's day and age does not seem to me to be all that hard to do.