Submitted by Bill Edley, May 26, 2007 07:55

Smith lucidly conveys a masterful account of the greatest American President of the last century. Seventy-five years before ‘values' became a political buzzword, and we focused on cultural issues such as abortion, gay rights and gun control, FDR rightly saw values in terms of economic issues that impact people's lives. In light of the enormous changes occurring in the U.S. economy, he called for a ‘reappraisal of values' as the foundation for his economic declaration of rights. So now, changes in the global economy call for another reappraisal of values to ensure an updated social contract whereby "every man has a right to life and this means that he also has a right to make a comfortable living. He may by sloth or crime decline to exercise that right but it may not be denied him." The passage of time may lay waste to the outmoded means of economic activity, but not to the end goals which ensure that people have a comfortable living and economic security. FDR's leadership transcends time because the values he represented are eternal. After reading Smith's FDR, I wonder where all the leaders have gone, and if there could be another FDR on the horizon?

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