I could make the case for the all of them. Jackson w/ vetoes, displacement of Indians, etc. (though he did veto the 2nd Nat'l bank).
Lincoln with suspension of habeas corpus, Clement Vallandigham and the jailing of dissenters/protestors in Canada, silencing of anti-war press...
Wilson with Federal Reserve, WW1, income tax...
FDR with his deficit spending, alphabet agencies (especially the TVA -- closest thing to Socialism this country has ever approached), and the creation of a welfare state.
LBJ and his "Great Society" which was largely just an extension of New Deal -- essentially solidified the welfare state and created a permanent dependency on government.
I could go into further detail, but you get the point. Above are examples of expansion of gov't. Creating the Dept. of Homeland Security is not akin to any of this.
Very true. I would argue, however, that it was more the mobilization for WW2 then the actual war that brought us out.
