History repeats itself.  Those who do not take its lessons must learn them all over again, and painfully.  The current tumult facing President Trump is vastly more complex than the headlines suggest, and the consequences of failing to heed the lessons of the past will bring us the same degree of pain – and risk – as were heaped upon the United States during the tenure of President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s and '40s. The Pacific War 1941-1945, by John Costello, might more aptly be titled with the years 1841-1945, because it grippingly traces the roots of that war to the complex and convoluted factors that produced it.  Economics and profiteering, statesmanship and politics, military courage and careerist cowardice – all played roles in the weaving of a fabric that eventually unraveled into worldwide tragedy. Here is an excerpt: The President's State of the Union message in January 1936 was full of...(Read Full Post)