In an amusing exchange, Edmund Morris, probably best known to educated Americans as a biographer of Ronald Reagan, went nuts when braindead fourth-rate pundits Bob Schieffer and Arianna Huffington kept asking him idiotic questions about how various long-dead historical figures would feel about current events in America. Morris rightly thought the whole thing was stupid and said so, using the F word.
He then went on a diatribe about how Americans are lazy and obese:
Morris went on to criticize the American people, who he said “are insensitive to foreign sensibilities, who are lazy, obese, complacent and increasingly perplexed as to why we are losing our place in the world to people who are more dynamic than us and more disciplined.”
Knowing Morris, I highly doubt these comments stem from any kind of Menckenian individualism. Rather, I suspect that Morris is one of those war-crazed neocon types who thinks that various iron-fisted militarists like the British imperials and the Spartans should be emulated. Hence, the stuff about “discipline.”
So the whole exchange just helps to illustrate that shows like “Face the Nation” or “Meet the Press” are a complete waste of time. Who watches these shows? I mean, other than octogenarians?
But to answer the question posed to Morris: ““What would Teddy Roosevelt think of today’s politics, Edmund?””
I can channel ol’ Teddy for you right now and tell you what he would say were he to survey the political scene in America:
Wow, America has really gone down hill since I died. I can’t believe that you people let Negroes hold public office! For shame. Also, someone told me that you let the dusky races of Central America have nominal control over my great Panama Canal. The first think you should do is whip those coolies into shape and take that back. In fact, I hear there are Chinamen in warships patrolling those waters. If you’re not careful, Anglo-Saxons won’t rule the world. I shudder to think of such a world. And worse, I heard that eugenics has fallen out of favor in America. How are you supposed to wipe out the undesirables if you don’t forcibly sterilize all the weak and the Colored people?
Andy Greenberg has a fascinating interview with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange posted at Forbes.com. Assange states that he has been significantly influenced by “market libertarianism,” and though I disagree with the conclusions of his “expertise in politics and history” he is most assuredly a friend to the cause of liberty. Check out this excerpt from the interview.