Greatness
Chapter One
Chapter 1
What Is Greatness?
A democracy, not less than any other form of government, needs great men to lead and inspire the people. —James Bryce, The American Commonwealth
Ronald Reagan, like many American politicians of both parties, liked to quote Winston Churchill. Reagan paraphrased him by name in his first presidential utterance, his inaugural address in 1981. "To paraphrase Winston Churchill," Reagan said, "I did not take the oath I've just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy." Reagan quoted or mentioned the example of Churchill more than 150 times during his presidency—more than three times as much as any other president. Beyond the direct references, one finds that Reagan discussed many political issues in the same terms, and with the same vocabulary, as Churchill.
Many fine books have been written about Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, the contemporary world leaders and indispensable partners of the Western alliance during World War II. And the most apt Anglo-American comparison might seem to be Churchill and the other Roosevelt—Theodore Roosevelt. Bot ... read full excerpt from: Greatness ebook
