[conservatism_IS_compassion]

are Democrat wars bad wars and Republican wars good wars?

WWII is called "the good war" by Democrats. But of course, FDR was in power over almost exactly the same span of time as was Hitler; to the extent that Churchill was right that WWII was "the unnecessary war," FDR was as responsible as anyone for failing to preempt it. Which hardly covers FDR with glory - had he thought like Churchill he might have taken action which prevented not only Hitler's aggression but FDR's own reelection. That would have been an honorable way to "fail" . . .

And even tho we've suffered more casualties since then than before it, the official position of the US should be that we have not been in a "war" since Bush declared "major" combat operations to be over. And most especially since the administration ceded sovereignty to the Iraqi government. What state would we be at "war" with? "Terrorism?"

Are we obligated to treat prisioners according to the Geneva Convention when they are soldiers of no state, and they violate the Geneva Convention with their every operation?

[FreedomCalls]

Are we obligated to treat prisioners according to the Geneva Convention when they are soldiers of no state, and they violate the Geneva Convention with their every operation?

Short answer: yes. We are obligated to treat prisoners according to the Geneva Convention, but that does not mean granting them "prisoner of war" status which confers on them all kinds of priviledges like a monthly stipend, or freedom from interrogation, or allowing them to keep their command structure. They are not "prisoners of war."

[George W. Bush]

WWII is called "the good war" by Democrats. But of course, FDR was in power over almost exactly the same span of time as was Hitler; to the extent that Churchill was right that WWII was "the unnecessary war," FDR was as responsible as anyone for failing to preempt it.

I've never heard such an odd view.

It was primarily the fault of Chamberlain and the French prime minister. The French president, Daladier, was a tragic figure who was unable to do anything to avert the doom he saw coming. He was also just a businessman who didn't belong in the presidency.

Hitler's government would likely have fallen if France and Britain had responded when he reclaimed the Rhineland. It is widely believed that his hold on government was so shaky that even a small show of force at that juncture would have caused a crisis of confidence in the German elite.

In a broader sense, it was the fault of all those who believed in the League of Nations, who issued security treaties willy-nilly that they couldn't possibly fulfill (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, etc.), of refusing to recognize the necessity to re-arm and re-train their armies to counter the Hitler threat. And it was the fault of those other parties to the Treaty of Versailles who enacted such punitive measures against Germany, so severe that they could never hope to overcome them, especially after the Depression started.

I don't like FDR. But I don't see how you blame him for WW II.