perfidy

Mike said about FDR, "His infamy also lies in his role as the savior of American capitalism, and not taking the New Deal far enough to the left." You cannot possibly imagine what that sounds like to me. If you want to blame someone for saving capitalism (gack) then blame our second Irish-American president, Ronald Reagan. FDR was an attempt at socialism that thankfully was aborted by the common sense of the American people.

Also, I really must object to putting Reagan, Thatcher and Coolidge in the same category as Stalin, Hitler and Himmler. Certainly, your political beliefs will ensure that those three are not on your "favorite leaders" list. But Thatcher, Reagan and Coolidge were not responsible for the organized slaughter of millions of their fellow citizens. At absolute worst, they were (elected) misguided leaders of democratic nations, who were replaced by constitutional means. This is a far, far cry from genocidal maniac leader of a totalitarian police state.

A side note: in general, the Soviets who died in vast numbers in combat against the Nazis died to save civilization - although in the process they also preserved (temporarily) the unmitigated evil of communism. American and British troops made the Germans die to save civilization. Like Patton said, "Don't be a fool and die for your country. Let the other sonofabitch die for his." This is, I think, largely a result of the total lack of concern for human life of the Soviet government.