Captain Canada: "Never trust a failed haberdasher with matters of state. Couldn't handle Stalin at Potsdam, allowed the Cold War to kick off, didn't listen to his Secretary of State on Israel, allowed MaCarthyism to become embedded, didn't listen to General Marshall. A simple well meaning man who simply couldn't handle the job. " How did he "allow" the Cold War? Just what should he have done that could have prevented it? How did he "allow" McCarthyism?" In what way could he have prevented the Army-McCarthy hearings in Congress? Please state specifically what Constitutional powers Truman possessed to stop those hearings. And, what advice from General Marshall did he not take that he should have? I would appreciate some very specific answers, so we can know what it is you are talking about.
I think that im just about the only american that cant stand Kennedy. (any of them) Its something ive never understood why everybody looks at the fact that he could manipulate cameras rather than the fact that everything he ever did showed he was a complete moron. Also i think getting shot helped his legacy but i can't prove it.
I hope you'll provide us with some of these facts. When advocates of racial justice picked up strength in 1962 and 1963, he moved to promote civil rights legislation. He also sought a tax cut to stimulate the economy. Kennedy won election by a narrow margin, and lacked reliable majorities in Congress. For these reasons, at the time of his assassination, most of his domestic policies, including programs such as federal aid to education and Medicare, were stalled on Capitol Hill. It was left to his successor, President Johnson, to push this legislation through the more compliant congresses of 1964 and 1965. Peace.
How about David Rice Atchison? He slept through his entire presidency. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Peace.
I've slept through an earthquake measuring 4.6 (it's big, since we don't get earthquakes here), fire, an ambulance arriving with sirens blaring outside my window, a girl doing odd things to me, basic training, and more.
Adam, At least it wasn't your dog that was doing odd things to you.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Thank God for Truman. This man helped to keep the lid on the Cold War furnace when it was beginning. He helped to bring about the Marshall Plan, Berlin Airlift, containment policy, the rebuilding of the former Axis, and broke the strikes that probably prevented the nation to slipping into recession or depression after 1945. He saved millions by dropping the A-bombs on Japan, still pushed for Germany's unconditional surrendure, and attempted to pass sweeping Civil Rights legistlation in 1948. He de-segregated the Armed Forces and federal buildings. The "Do-Nothing" Republican congress was the problem during Truman's admin. The worst US President, probably Andrew Johnson. The man nearly ruined reconstruction after the Civil War. He didn't want the 14th Amendment or Civil Rights Act passed after the war. Other than that I would say Nixon because of Watergate. Then again Nixon's most important achievement will be opening China to the US and the rest of the world.
Well aside from anything involving his personal character (as bad as Clinton mabey worse) he did nearly cause the end of civilization. Point nukes at the russians than panic when they do the same to us. The only reason I give him any credit is because from what i hear the policy most of his advisors wanted to follow would have guarenteed nuclear war his way we were damn lucky we avoided it. He was a disaster at forgen policy my personal favorite example of this was the Bay of Pigs screw up (mostly his fault) Thats the thing "When advocates of racial justice picked up strength". I think that most of those racial reforms had more to do with the time than the presidency. I can't prove it but im pretty sure racial reform laws would have been passed whoever was president because it would have been the popular thing to do. From everthing I can see Kennedy was about looks and nothing else period. I agree he wasn't good but i don't think you can really blame him either. Lincoln picked him as VP only because he was a southerner and it would show he was willing to forgive the south. Johnson had no real qualifications he was a very bad choice but i think he was the only southerner who would do the job lincoln could count on for support. Of course lincoln wasn't expecting to get shot and leave him in charge. He wanted to follow lincoln's plan it was congress that wanted to screw up reconstruction.
While I don't like OR trust him, I'm pretty sure he falls within the twenty year cut-off, Benji. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! How 'bout an earlier choice? Peace.
Sorry, forgot about the Truman thing. Why specifically was he a disaster? The 1947 National Security Act (setting up the National Security Council) established the US on a permanent war footing. The creation of the 'military-industrial' complex and need to construct an enemy to face down (communism then, later drugs, now terrorism) in order to justify the policy. The following extract from Policy Planning Study 23 sums up the idea neatly: I happen to think that the US' 'perpetual war footing' since has been to the detriment of the world and, more so, to the Americans forced to die in senseless wars. We can all thank Truman for that. Did he know what he was doing? Probably not, but he's culpable. What else? McCarthy. He didn't like him, but he gave him space. He also gave him communism and couldn't put a leash on him because he was serving his own purposes. The demonisation of communism and sense of fear and paranoia owes much to Truman. Curly cites the atomic bomb use as a good thing. We differ. I tend to believe that the tremendous loss of life was unnecessary. You have a different opinion. I tend to think that being the only man to authorise the use of nuclear weapons is not a great thing to have on your CV. Twin Towers attack. That goes back to Truman. The war Bush is fighting today - the habidasher's fault. Had he listened to Secretary of Stae Marshall and not recogniosed the state of Israel, 50 years of violence in the Middle East wouldn't have happened. The overthrow of Mossadeq (democratically elected and popular - just not great for US oil interests) put the Shah in place and set up 1979. The two add up to years of hatred directed at the US (which in 1945 was viewed as the model for Arab states who looked up to the US as a former colony that stood up for itself - they weren't expecting 5 decades of oppression) culminating in 11 Septmeber. And its not over yet. But then Truman and his cronies probably envisaged decades of war for no end other than to prop up the system which benefits the wealthy and powerful. Truman was a disaster, and that's why so many Americans have died, and why so many more have found the country as it is today is far from the one which was founded.
What about that guy who dyed after a month in office? Or was he the best ever?Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
