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“If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble but neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.”
-- President Theodore Roosevelt
So, that is where the statement, "speak softly, carry a big stick," came from. That is just one of the juicy tidbits in Michael McMenamin's article, “Teddy Roosevelt's Hidden Legacy: How an 'imperialist' president’s record makes the case for military restraint.” For all of Roosevelt's famed forcefulness, we see a master diplomatist pulling gently but effectively on the strings of personality.
In discussing the Roosevelt and Wilson legacies, Mr. McMenamin raises some fascinating and personal stories. I did not know that President Wilson may have given Clinton a good run for who was more driven for the ladies, for example. The article is a little lengthy but worth the read, especially for anyone with some interest in American history. Besides the sexual background, the account is spiced with a lot of fascinating speculations - the 'what might have beens.'
It is noted that President Bush has been looking to Theodore Roosevelt as a model, but perhaps for some mistaken reasons. Along with McMenamin, we are left only more wistful over the difference and how we could use another Teddy about now.
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“If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble but neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.”
-- President Theodore Roosevelt
So, that is where the statement, "speak softly, carry a big stick," came from. That is just one of the juicy tidbits in Michael McMenamin's article, “Teddy Roosevelt's Hidden Legacy: How an 'imperialist' president’s record makes the case for military restraint.” For all of Roosevelt's famed forcefulness, we see a master diplomatist pulling gently but effectively on the strings of personality.
In discussing the Roosevelt and Wilson legacies, Mr. McMenamin raises some fascinating and personal stories. I did not know that President Wilson may have given Clinton a good run for who was more driven for the ladies, for example. The article is a little lengthy but worth the read, especially for anyone with some interest in American history. Besides the sexual background, the account is spiced with a lot of fascinating speculations - the 'what might have beens.'
It is noted that President Bush has been looking to Theodore Roosevelt as a model, but perhaps for some mistaken reasons. Along with McMenamin, we are left only more wistful over the difference and how we could use another Teddy about now.
