"A further interesting historical parallel is to compare this to the way Franklin Roosevelt handled similar issues a few years earlier. While campaigning in 1944, Republicans were acting pretty much like Democrats are acting today: whiny, spoiled, caterwauling brats, preaching gloom and doom and defeat and failure, some even shrieking "it's Roosevelt's war!" In response, Roosevelt hit the campaign trail and fought back, and Republicans were (rightly) spanked by voters for their juvenile behavior. [ From today's Deja Vu all over again file. -ed. ] "