New Book Compares Bush, FDR, Pre-election Politics
by Chad Groening
April 20, 2004
(AgapePress) - The co-author of a new book about the Bush family says things are quite different today than they were 60 years ago, when Franklin Roosevelt faced a re-election challenge from Republican Thomas Dewey.In Peter and Rochelle Schweizer's book, entitled The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty, the authors compare the 2004 presidential election to 1944, when the United States was trying to defeat Germany and Japan. One difference that co-author Peter Schweizer finds noteworthy is that, even though some questioned whether the Roosevelt Administration could have prevented Pearl Harbor, it did not become a campaign issue.
The researcher contends that Roosevelt never had to face the kind of political rancor in 1944 that George W. Bush is having to deal with this election year -- something Schweizer believes should not be happening during wartime. He says when America was fighting World War II, there was considerable speculation about Pearl Harbor and what FDR knew, just as there is now a great amount of speculation about Bush's response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
But the author says what is interesting about the contrast between Roosevelt's time and today is that Roosevelt's political opponent did not make an issue of whether the president could have done something to prevent Pearl Harbor. "Republican Tom Dewey thought that would be unpatriotic," he says.
On the other hand, Schweizer notes, President Bush has had to undergo constant political attacks and questions throughout his effort to conduct the war on terror, and most especially in recent months as the presidential election draws nearer. "So I do think there has been a lot of partisan political rancor that's entered into this election that just really does not need to be there," the author says.
As a result, he says the president has remained under constant pressure. "We interviewed a lot of family members," the co-author of The Bushes says, "and they told us that since 9-11 George W. Bush has been under enormous stress and strain. War continues to go on, and it weighs heavily on him."
Schweizer says President Bush has had to rely on prayer and the support of his family and close advisors to help him get through this difficult time. The author adds that he expects the Democrats will pull out all the stops to defeat Bush.
