Cost - benefit analysis...

Pat Buchanan's commentary today asks: who really won World War 2?

He makes a strong case that America defeated Hitler while paving the skids for Stalin and the rest of the Asian dictators.

I have always viewed World War 2 through the lens of nationalism, wondering why our men went and died there. Was America better off with the end of Hitler's Third Reich? How did Hitler threaten America while we remained neutral?

We were attacked at Pearl Harbor by Japan, yet we retaliated against the Italians and Germans while fighting our first battles in Africa.

Am I claiming to buy into the 'FDR knew about the Pearl Harbor attacks ahead of time' theory? No, however, there can be no denying that war can and often is used as a political tool to generate increased patriotism and economic growth while providing cover for other failed or unpopular policies.

Sadly, with war often comes reductions in civil liberties which are not often restored and can never be undone...