When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Roosevelt, who was serving as the assistant secretary of the Navy, resigned his post, gathered up a scruffy company of volunteers from around the nation, and then worked with all of his might to get himself to the front in Cuba in time to be in a serious battle. His biggest fear in the late spring of 1898 was that the war would end before he could get his Rough Riders into some bloody action.
Think about that.
Another mft effort to get FCP'ers more acquainted with Theodore Roosevelt. BULLY!
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Ya know, the Tribe of Roosevelt, [masterfully led by Bully Teddy and Tough Franklin ], would have clobbered the Kennedy Klan [fronted by JFK, consigliered by RFK, godfathered by Pappy, and betrayed by Teddy and his nephew cohort], and absolutely annihilated the House of Bush [led to doom down beneath the coral seas by George "Ain't Got No Vision Thing" Sr, George "When the Going Gets Tough...uh...damned if I know!" Jr, metterniched into extinction by Karl "Evil Genius" Rove, and generously befriended by the loveable EOFAA the House of Saud].
Gee, it's almost like a parable of the Fall of The Presidents...or sumpin'
Either in his "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman," or his autobiography (perhaps in both), Roosevelt remarks how he leveled some drunk, loud-mouthed sonofabitch who was threatening everyone with his revolovers out around Medora. It was a one punch (not more than two) kind of operation. First the kinetic energy was deployed, then Newton and gravity took over. The SOB hit the floor. But, as they say, "those were different times..."
How would the last 5 decades of presidents have handled themselves?...
At the very most they would have the secret service handle any physicality. Although I could see a young Gerald Ford, before he became washingtonfied, take out the guy. Young Reagan got into a number of fights, but I don't think he was ever the natural athlete Teddy was. So he may well have lost a bunch of those licks. As for Nixon, Carter, Clinton, Bushies, I'm not sure that up close and nasty physical courage was ever a hallmark of their existence.
Now Bush Sr. did genuinely do good service as a pilot in the pacific theater in WWII--but that requires bravery of a less animalistic, visceral, sort than that needed for counter-chomping on the Mike Tysons of this world. Maybe.
By the way, the Comedy Channel missed a Opportunity of the Century in not sponsoring the bitchslapfest that would have been a boxing match between Jimmy and Billy
I've long admired Teddy Roosevelt [my appreciation for Franklin came a little later]. His departure from the Republicans, in his tussle with Taft, was, in my opinion, the end of the Golden Age of that party.....
His departure from the Republicans, in his tussle with Taft, was, in my opinion, the end of the Golden Age of that party.....
The party had strayed too far. It was time to go Bull-Moose, AA.
Libertarians are always just on the outskirts of that GOP Galleon, ready to swoop in with discourse, and gently nudge the Republicans, even saving them from themselves from time to time. We tend to work from behind the scenes, completely comfortable that the presidency is, and forever will be, out of reach (can you imagine trying to run a country full of us fucking libertarians!... my god, the horror).
We tend to like booze and red meat, too, but are completely comfortable around vegetarians (means there's more meat for us).
Teddy exhibited libertarian tendencies, but he was more of a man of government experimentation, whether at the individual (frontiersman) or broader social level (Trust Busting and Conservation). Truly a remarkable man. He experienced malaria (nearly dying) down in the deep jungle of South America, went on Safaris from Africa ("speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far...") to the Dakotas, decided later on that the natural world was worth conserving for future generations, and managed to bring America to the world stage (think Great White Fleet). In order to squeeze 26 hours into 24, I think he consumed close to a gallon of coffee/day.
I'd recommend his autobiography, or one of the several books he authored before getting into any biographies or secondary histories of the man.
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