Related to another OP, should the US have entered World War II earlier than it did? [View all]

[pampango]

The other OP contended that the European theater of WWII was a, perhaps singular, instance "of a time when OUR country's foreign policy has ever fought for the poor, the dispossessed, working people, or true victims of oppression in this world" without claiming that that is why we went to war. Obviously that only occurred after we were directly attacked, declared war on Japan and Germany declared war on us.

Whether the other OP's contention is accurate or not is, of course, a discussion to be conducted in that thread. The purpose of this poll is somewhat different.

We all know of the brutality of Hitler on the European continent from 1933 on (particularly after the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the declaration of war on Germany by Britain and France).

We also know that the US had a largely isolationist foreign policy at the time.

Opposition to the Lend-Lease bill was strongest among isolationist Republicans in Congress, who feared that the measure would be "the longest single step this nation has yet taken toward direct involvement in the war abroad." When the House of Representatives finally took a roll call vote on February 9, 1941, the 260 to 165 vote fell largely along party lines. Democrats voted 238 to 25 in favor and Republicans 24 in favor and 135 against.

The vote in the Senate, which took place a month later, revealed a similar partisan divide. 49 Democrats (79 percent) voted "aye" with only 13 Democrats (21 percent) voting "nay." In contrast, 17 Republicans (63 percent) voted "nay" while 10 Senate Republicans (37 percent) sided with the Democrats to pass the bill.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease

I think that there was no chance that the US would have declared war on Germany and/or Japan prior to Pearl Harbor given sentiments at the time. I do not fault FDR. It was hard enough just to get the Lend-Lease program past Congress. A declaration of war before Pearl Harbor would have been politically impossible.

But would it have been the right thing to do? The question for this poll is:

Was the US right not to get involved in a war with Germany when it invaded Poland in 1939, France in 1940 or the USSR in 1941?

5 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	We were right not to go to war earlier. We did not know how bad the Nazis were.
	0 (0%)
	We were right not to go to war earlier. The true nature of the Nazis does not matter. It was none of our business unless they attacked us.
	0 (0%)
	I am a pacifist. War is never an option regardless of the circumstances.
	0 (0%)
	We did know or should have known how bad the Nazis were. We should have entered the war earlier.
	3 (60%)
	The ubiquitous "Other".
	2 (40%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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