OT James Roosevelt, Jr: "For Bush to [call himself a War President] Is An Insult To My Grandfather"

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Franklin D. Roosevelt's grandson assesses George W. Bush's performance

By James Roosevelt Jr.
Newsweek

Oct. 29 - Last May, I walked through the magnificent new World War II
Memorial that was soon to be dedicated on the National Mall in
Washington. The architecture, sculpture and carved quotations were
impressive.

But it was the faces of the retired veterans and the depth of feeling
in the eyes of their wives and widows that was most moving.

As I watched them read the words of inspiration from the war's leaders
etched into the stone walls, I thought of my father, who served during
the war as a Marine in Carlson's Raiders.

His father, my grandfather, was making his own contribution: as
president of the United States.

Today, I remember the words etched into that memorial while I read the
news from Iraq. The contrast is stark.

This summer, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's name and legacy were invoked
by almost a dozen speakers at the Republican National Convention. But
George W. Bush is not, and never will be, a president like FDR.

In the White House today is a man who for the first time in our
nation's history invaded another country without our first being
attacked and without the support of a global alliance.

The real leadership of FDR, by contrast, was the skill with which he
solidified our alliances and made winning the war a truly global
effort.

At home, FDR mobilized American industrial power to provide the needed
equipment for our forces and those of our allies. His fireside chats
focused on calls for national sacrifice, but his concern for the troops
was also very personal.

My father and all three of his brothers were on active duty-in
combat-in the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Army Air Corps.

Their sister, Anna, and their mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, ministered to
the soldiers and sailors with the American Red Cross.

They shared the common sacrifices with ordinary Americans both in
uniform oversees and in factories, homes and offices all over America.

Where are George W. Bush's personal sacrifices? Where are the
inspirational words meant to mobilize America now?

Most importantly, Dr. Win the War (as FDR was called) met with the
leaders of the Allied nations throughout the war to plan the peace.

Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, together with Joseph Stalin and
sometimes even Charles DeGaulle, knew that military victory leading to
an unplanned peace was hollow and potentially disastrous.

Iraq today proves that their fears were well founded.

Americans old enough to remember the 1940s-and those of us who learn
from history-have a model of a War President. He is one who builds
true cooperation with our foreign friends.

He is one who is never the aggressor, but once attacked, involves even
those closest to him in an all-out effort to win. And he is one who has
a plan for the peace such as the Marshall Plan in Europe or
reindustrialization in Japan.

A War President isn't self-proclaimed. A president becomes a true War
President by leadership that inspires followers at home and abroad. And
most importantly, a War President never loses sight of the goals of
true peace with honor.

For Bush to grant himself this title is an insult to my grandfather and
the inspired leaders who led this country in wars that were just. To
put it simply, George W. Bush has not earned the right to be called a
War President.

Roosevelt is a former associate commissioner of Social Security for
Retirement Policy
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

(Note: Some paragraphs split by me for ease of reading)