"Does anyone know what are the great mistakes that these guys made that says are so great compared to Bush's?"
"Truman"
Appointed Dean Acheson, whose statement that the Korean Peninsula lay outside the all-important "defense perimeter" of the United States caused the Korean War. Allowed his cabinet to cut military spending "to the bone, and then keep cutting" after WWII, which ensured that our armed forces were not prepared for Korea. Fired MacArthur. Refused to use sufficient force to eliminate N. Korea, instead settling for an uneasy truce that has now come back to bite us.
"FDR"
Implemented socialist policies that had the economy on the ropes. Legacy saved only by the attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler's declaration of war 10 days later. Decided to abandon Pacific and pursue war in Europe first, thereby abandoning huge numbers of civilians in the Philippines and elsewhere to unimaginable horrors. Went along with the fire-bombing of Dresden. And on, and on, and on.
"Kennedy"
Took the Bay of Pigs operation away from Army Intelligence at the 11th hour and gave it to the CIA who screwed it up by the numbers. Murdered hundreds, if not thousands, by reneging on promise to provide air support after the operation was already in progress. Pussied out in Cuban Missile Crisis, giving Krushchev our missiles in Turkey and Italy in return for dismantling Russia's in Cuba. Failed to take out Castro. Committed adultery virtually every day. Worst of all, it was with the rise of the inbred shanty-Irish trash Kennedy clan that America's descent into the muck and mire of blue jeans and grungy attire for every occasion began.
I agree generally with you, but MacArthur should have been fired months before, when after the Inchon landing he failed to cut off the North Korean army from fleeing north. Instead of driving across the penninsula, MacArthur wasted weeks taking Seoul. Then, he further screwed up by disobeying orders and advancing all the way to the Yalu River.
"Pussied out in Cuban Missile Crisis, giving Krushchev our missiles in Turkey and Italy in return for dismantling Russia's in Cuba."
You really think we could've won that one without concessions, and/or going nuclear? What's in it for the Soviets?
And to think....JFK would be right-wing conservative...compared to most in the GOP now.