Only when foreign enemies looked different from what Americans conceived themselves to be could presidents wage war against a people as a whole. Thus, Franklin Roosevelt could simultaneously urge Americans to keep the world from being “dominated by Hitler and Mussolini ,” even as he told them that “we are now in the midst of a war against Japan .”
只有当外国敌人与美国人想象有出入的情况下美国总统才能对该国全体民众发动战争。这样，富兰克林·罗斯福可以在敦促美国人不让世界“落入 希特勒 和 墨索里尼 主宰”的同时，告诉他们“我们正在对 日本 发动战争。”欧洲的战争是要解放被专制暴君压迫的民众，而太平洋战争则是一场种族战争。