FDR.

This is coolbert:

The esteemed American diplomat George Kennan was of the opinion that Franklin D. Roosevelt [FDR] was a dilettante. A man [FDR] who quite often meddled in matters for which he had not the experience, training, education, depth of knowledge required.

Meddling all the time "thinking" that he [FDR] could at least do the job equally as well, if not better, than the professionals.

"dilettante

noun 1. an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge

an amateur; especially, one who follows an art or a branch of knowledge, desultorily, or for amusement only.

a dabbler, someone with a broad but shallow attachment to any field.

the pejorative sense emerged late 18c. by contrast with professional."

"dabbler, nonprofessional, unprofessional, unskilled, unskillful, amateur, superficial, half-baked"

Here, from the web site "World War2 Plus 55" [courtesy of David Lippman] is a description of a visit by FDR to the Western Front, 1918. A perfect example of the dilettante "at work":

"On August 4 [1918] . . . The same day, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, visiting the war, finally reaches the front . . . His 'sensitive naval nose' tells him he has reached the front . . . The smell is that of dead horses"

"Corpses of Germans lie in a heap, also awaiting the graves registration team. FDR also finds a US artillery battery hard at work, shelling the German lines four miles away. The gunners let Roosevelt pull the lanyard on a shell aimed at a railway junction at Bazoches, eight miles to the north. A spotter plane reports the shell hits its target. FDR writes, 'I will never know how many, if any, Huns, I killed.'"

"Later that day, Roosevelt sees an American regiment coming out of the line, and he is appalled by the bleeding wounded and the men coughing out their gassed lungs."

During this less-than-a-day visit to the "front", FDR has:

* Smelled dead horses.

* Sees German dead.

* Sees American wounded.

* Fires A ROUND [that is one] at a German position by pulling the lanyard of the artillery piece.

AND THAT IS IT!! FDR, after this less-than-a-day experience, NOW understands and has experienced WAR? [probably, in his own mind, really does believe this to be true!]

FDR did feel too, as a patrician blue-blood, a "yachtsman", that he was also eminently qualified to serve in the Naval Department as an assistant secretary. Get some practical experience, an overview of governmental affairs, establish credentials, etc.

After all - - as a "yachtsman" - - perhaps during a regatta - - he had taken the helm of a sailing ship? Once or twice at least?

Here, finally, from the book, "Marching Orders" [courtesy Bruce Lee]: "one . . . comes away confirmed in the suspicion that to the extent Franklin Roosevelt had qualities fitting him for the great responsibilities he bore over those years of wartime leadership, these were primarily qualities of temperament, not of intellect." [attributed to George Kennan.]

A dilettante!!?? YES!!

coolbert.