[Sans-Culotte]

Bartlett's low evaluation of Roosevelt and Wilson are way off the mark. For one thing, Roosevelt's superb performance as Commander-in-Chief during WWII far outweighs any damage done by the New Deal.

Roosevelt's cozying up to Stalin seriously undermines his reputation for fighting WW2, IMO. The war began to save eastern Europe from the yoke of nazism, and ended with eastern Europe under the yoke of communism.

Roosevelt beat Hitler, but lost to Stalin. The real winner of WW2 was Stalin because he defeated both the nazis and his allies. Roosevelt's failure to see Stalin for what he was (and having commie advisors in his administration did not help) reminds me of the whole GWB "religion of peace" debacle.

[Rembrandt_fan]

You wrote, "Roosevelt's cozying up to Stalin seriously undermines his reputation for fighting WW2..."

Your use of the phrase 'cozying up' is disingenuous. What was Roosevelt's alternative--not allying ourselves with Russia against the Germans? When engaged in an existential struggle, you take what allies you can get, especially when they're engaging a sizable proportion of the German army.

Historians, both pro- and anti-Roosevelt, decry his giveaway performance at Yalta. Eyewitnesses at the Conference attest to Roosevelt's health, which at that time was in rapid--and very evident--decline. The war killed Roosevelt as surely as it killed soldiers and sailors in action. Thus, I think his mistakes dealing with Stalin--particularly at the Yalta Conference--are explained, but not excused.