Lox - The admittedly common wisdom is that FDR didn't so much end the depression as ameliorate it.

WWII ended the depression (for the USA anyway).

We are currently facing the international effects that the rest of the World has overcome its post WWII destitution and is building several large modern economies and we no longer have the cookie dough bowl all to ourselves.

Some leaders of a liberal background such as Clinton saw the truth (and inevitability) of this and pretty much have gone along with it. Some leaders of a conservative nature such as 'W' are more 'America First' in orientation and don't really understand that in the world today there are things that can be influenced but not stopped, such as that thing called Globalization.

So there are liberal and conservative approaches to the same issues which will be all over the map depending on whether folks are pre-Millenial or post-Millenial in outlook.

By comparison, there was a time when racism was considered a liberal versus conservative issue, with liberals in the US being for the end of miscegenation laws, the end of 'separate but equal' in schools and public places and conveyances, the end of voter registration laws, and the promotion of activist 'entitlement' programs in post secondary education. Conservatives were linked with opposition to most of these things. NOW, the ground has shifted and American Conservatives are by-and-large anti-racist and seeking to have more black and hispanic members among their ranks. The new frontier is gay rights.

This little war on terror business has some important issues going on, but we spend a lot of time not with our eye on the ball, The mega issue is one of globalization: The masters of mega markets and job distribution over the internet versus primarilly the pre-millenial anti-globalization efforts of reactionary mullahs (some of whom are Muslim), who can see the end of their tyranical control over the minds of tens of millions of people.