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Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:30 am
by Apadizamek
Best - Woodrow Wilson or William Taft

Worst - Andrew Jackson


As for Truman, there was little choice. Japan was a fortress with a large population of highly determined highly trained soldiers. On the islands we could not even get all the troops off, we'd have raids on our bases constantly, we could never get them out of their bunkers literally having to burn them out of their defenses. We could never do that on a large scale such as japan, not without probably doubling or even tripling American casualties in the pacific or even the entire war.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 9:40 am
by deadeye
Mordack wrote:
deadeye wrote:You can't judge Truman because he was in charge when the atom bomb was dropped. If Roosevelt hadn't died he would have given the order.


I'm not so sure about that, personally. Roosevelt was a very different man to his successor. I don't think he'd have wanted to use the weapon like that.


Roosevelt gave the go-ahead for The Manhattan Project. You don't agree to help fund and construct a weapon more powerful than any other at the time during a time of war without the intention of using it.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:07 am
by Mordack
deadeye wrote:
Mordack wrote:
deadeye wrote:You can't judge Truman because he was in charge when the atom bomb was dropped. If Roosevelt hadn't died he would have given the order.


I'm not so sure about that, personally. Roosevelt was a very different man to his successor. I don't think he'd have wanted to use the weapon like that.


Roosevelt gave the go-ahead for The Manhattan Project. You don't agree to help fund and construct a weapon more powerful than any other at the time during a time of war without the intention of using it.


He gave it the go-ahead, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean he intended to use it in the way it eventually was. Roosevelt wrote in his notes at the time that he was more interested in making sure that America managed to perfect the technology before Nazi Germany, or Soviet Russia, did. I don't think it was his intention to target cities with the weapon.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:22 am
by Fear Of The Duck
si vis pacem para bellum?

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:30 am
by Mordack
Corran Horn wrote:si vis pacem para bellum?


Precisely.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:21 am
by Come_Forth
I don't disagree with building the bomb or using it, I disagree with using it on people. Japan was also trying to build an atomic bomb so they knew the power of what it could do. I think that it would have been more moral to drop it on a non populated area. Not a demonstration because we were not sure that it would work, hence the two designs, but just drop it out in the middle of nowhere. Japan would have realized the power of the bomb and sued for peace.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:39 pm
by MGZ
Come_Forth wrote:I don't disagree with building the bomb or using it, I disagree with using it on people. Japan was also trying to build an atomic bomb so they knew the power of what it could do. I think that it would have been more moral to drop it on a non populated area. Not a demonstration because we were not sure that it would work, hence the two designs, but just drop it out in the middle of nowhere. Japan would have realized the power of the bomb and sued for peace.


Japan didn't surrender when they saw the power of the bomb on a CITY. It took a second bomb to convince them to give in. Maybe they didn't think we had more than one, who knows?

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:46 pm
by Come_Forth
Lol, there was only 3 days between the bombings, they needed time to work things out.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:49 pm
by papa~smurf
as an American, i find it funny that we sit at the table saying "we' never use the bomb first" when we are the only ones to ever use it.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 3:28 pm
by deadeye
Mordack wrote:
deadeye wrote:
Mordack wrote:
deadeye wrote:You can't judge Truman because he was in charge when the atom bomb was dropped. If Roosevelt hadn't died he would have given the order.


I'm not so sure about that, personally. Roosevelt was a very different man to his successor. I don't think he'd have wanted to use the weapon like that.


Roosevelt gave the go-ahead for The Manhattan Project. You don't agree to help fund and construct a weapon more powerful than any other at the time during a time of war without the intention of using it.


He gave it the go-ahead, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean he intended to use it in the way it eventually was. Roosevelt wrote in his notes at the time that he was more interested in making sure that America managed to perfect the technology before bad Germany, or Soviet Russia, did. I don't think it was his intention to target cities with the weapon.


You're right. It wasn't used as attended. The uranium bomb (Little Boy) wasn't tested like the plutonium bomb (Fat Man) was. There wasn't enough enriched uranium for a test and practical bomb so the test was scrapped.
Even if the original target was a military target, Roosevelt would have been under pressure to ensure a quick end to the war. The cost of retaking the pacific islands proved that Japan would fight to the last man. A civilian target would have proved their resolve towards ending the war.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:35 am
by Legendary Apophis
Best: could be JFK or Clinton...Lincoln and Carter were not bad at all as well I think.
Worst: George Bush Junior for sure!!
With all crap he did and blood he's on his hands, he deserves the spot! Not to mention he's backed by the neo-Konservators Korrupted Klick (take attention to capital letters used hehe :D)

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 7:50 am
by Legendary Apophis
Jack wrote:Best: Richard Nixon :twisted: (not really all that serious)

Worst JFK (I actually didn't like JFK)

WATERGATE!!!!!!!


[sarcasm] Sure JFK was the worst [/sarcasm] he was in Luther King side, he fought racism, was for human rights and tried to solve the cold war in a better way...big reasons to dislike him and say he's the worst... *sigh*

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 7:57 am
by Mordack
Åpophis ™ wrote:
Jack wrote:Best: Richard Nixon :twisted: (not really all that serious)

Worst JFK (I actually didn't like JFK)

WATERGATE!!!!!!!


[sarcasm] Sure JFK was the worst [/sarcasm] he was in Luther King side, he fought racism, was for human rights and tried to solve the cold war in a better way...big reasons to dislike him and say he's the worst... *sigh*


Suggesting JFK for worst is only slightly more nonsensical than suggesting Carter was best...

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 10:03 am
by Fear Of The Duck
Åpophis ™ wrote:
Jack wrote:Best: Richard Nixon :twisted: (not really all that serious)

Worst JFK (I actually didn't like JFK)

WATERGATE!!!!!!!


[sarcasm] Sure JFK was the worst [/sarcasm] he was in Luther King side, he fought racism, was for human rights and tried to solve the cold war in a better way...big reasons to dislike him and say he's the worst... *sigh*


dunno bout the nixon fella but bout jfk i'm with jack.

Re: Best/worst Presidents of the United States

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:07 pm
by MGZ
Jack wrote:
Åpophis ™ wrote:
Jack wrote:Best: Richard Nixon :twisted: (not really all that serious)

Worst JFK (I actually didn't like JFK)

WATERGATE!!!!!!!


[sarcasm] Sure JFK was the worst [/sarcasm] he was in Luther King side, he fought racism, was for human rights and tried to solve the cold war in a better way...big reasons to dislike him and say he's the worst... *sigh*

Oh sure sure, let's just forget about how JFK made things worse in Cuba....


worse? JFK stared down the commies! major respect for that one!