My Favorite President

"Dare greatly. It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena."

Theodore Roosevelt


TR is my favorite. He had a good foreign policy, he had a decent domestic policy, and he worked hard to protect the environment. Plus, he had a good public persona, which is important for presidents now-a-days. I am one of the 'scholars' who see a distinction between the 'modern' presidency and the classical presidency. TR was the first modern president, though there were a couple more classical ones that came after him.

I'm not sure I like his role in the Spanish-American war, though I suppose I can explain that by attributing to him extreme patriotism (which if not good, is at least not horrible), and a media-induced blindness. The rough riders will go down in history, and it added to his later persona that I like so much. I'm sure that I could find some more things to dislike, but since he's got some great quotes and almost no effect on the current situation, I think it's safe to just like the guy, rather than be totally informed about him. I have already done quite a bit of research, so I don't think the marginal utility of more research equals the marginal benefit.

So, there you go, that's my word.

UPDATE: New quote, and I'm going from memory. "Walk softly and carry a big stick." - Advice for Foreign Relations.