With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Tim Reid: Obama invokes the spirit of Roosevelt

[Tim Reid is Washington correspondent for the Times.]

Barack Obama accused John McCain yesterday of trying to incite anger and divide the country, as he made an impassioned plea to voters to ignore the Republican’s attacks on his character and honesty.

Invoking Franklin Roosevelt, the President who steered America out of the Great Depression, Mr Obama declared: “Nothing’s easier than to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division. But that’s not what we need now in the United States. The American people aren’t looking for someone who can divide this country. They’re looking for someone who will lead it.”

He added: “We can meet this moment. We can come together to restore confidence in the American economy.”

In a clear sign that the increasingly inflammatory tone at Republican rallies was threatening to get of hand, Mr McCain called on his supporters last night to show more respect. “We want to fight, and I will fight, but we will be respectful,” he told a rally in Lakeville, Minnesota...

Read entire article at Times (UK)