Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr had in mind Presidents Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower when he noted in 1986 that “second opinions are not necessarily wiser than first” ( Schlesinger 1986 : 374). Schlesinger thought their reputations were being unduly refurbished. But he could just as well be commenting on the iconic status of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt's lofty stature is nothing new. Since the late 1940s, most historians have placed him on a shortlist, with Washington and Lincoln, of great presidents. For decades, he has served as a role model for the modern presidency, the standard by which Americans measure their chief executives and by which they, Democrats and Republicans, measure themselves. As one historian noted, in the weeks leading up to his inauguration, Presidentelect Barack Obama “could hardly pick up a newspaper or magazine without reading that FDR should be his pilot” ( Leuchtenburg 2009 : 301). Roosevelt still inspires awe and envy. First of all, he served longer than any president ever has or ever will (barring repeal of the Twenty-Second Amendment). He was the man of the hour, not once but twice. When he assumed office in 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression, his buoyant personality and life-affirming optimism lifted the self-confidence of a dispirited nation. During World War II, another time of peril, he oversaw the most successful military operation ... log in or subscribe to read full text