Well his being a liberal doesn't surprise me after things he has said in the past. Comparing the racism in the Pacific in WWII to today defies either an education of how things are done over there, logic, or both. There was a lot of racism for the Japanese in WWII. You can see that in the art work of the time. The anti-German propaganda of the time (in general) made fun of the leaders. When they weren't focused on Hitler et al., they were portraying a German figure as a sinister person. They weren't racist in that the average Germans looked a lot like the average American. The anti-Japanese propaganda consisted of caricatures of Japanese people in general.
We were at total war with both nations and no holds were barred.
There is NO comparison to what is going on now. The way we are fighting on the tactical level is different, the way we are pursuing the war on the strategic and operational level is different, the enemy and the way they fight is different, the reasons the enemy fights is different, there is no American propaganda against the enemy, I could go on and on. And on that last note, not only is there no propaganda that decries the brutality of the jihadists, but we can't even bring ourselves to say that is who our conflict is with!! Even in the Bush years it was "Global War on Terrorism". Terrorism is a tactic, not an opponent. Were we at war with "naval aviation" following the Pearl Harbor attack? Maybe Roosevelt should have pronounced the "Global War on Attacking". We aren't at war with Basque terrorists, we aren't at war with the IRA, we aren't (weren't more appropriately) at war with the Tamil Tigers. The "terrorists" who use the "terrorism" that we are at war with are Muslims! That's the common thread!! AND WE CAN'T SAY IT!!!
And as far as the troops "racism" in Iraq and Afghanistan, I have not seen it. You certainly get an appreciation for how great it is to an American by going over there, but if there are harbored racist feelings about Arabs (of course it exists) it does not rear its head outside the main gate of the FOBs (Forward Operating Bases). The Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the US military are the most professional bunch that has ever stepped foot on the battlefield. [And the same goes for our European allies there in the fight with us.] Comparing the Racism of the servicemen fighting the brutal (and VERY racist) Japanese to what is going on now is asinine. Anyone who is familiar with the Pacific war as he obviously is should know that - unless they know absolutely nothing about today's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And that, I believe, is the problem.