"I Shall Make the Dirt Fly!"

David McCullough's account of the creation of the Panama Canal was fascinating. Edward Herrman, the Voice of American history (recall Alexander Scourby), provides the narration of the audio book. TR (who provided the comment quoted above in response to the Panamanian Revolution) is featured prominently, but there are a constellation of heroes (yes, heroes) who made the Canal happen. They designed it, dug it, arranged the logistics, and fought "Yellow Jack".

The Canal was the "moon shot" of its time, and still an awesome work.

Navel-Gazing and Self-Flagellation Poses as Morality.

Courtesy of Mark Steyn and James Toranto:

...If you examine the assumptions underlying speeches by professors, media grandees, etc., it's hard not to agree with the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto, that these days America can only fight Vietnam, over and over: Every war is "supposed to become a quagmire, which provokes opposition and leads to American withdrawal.'' That's how the nation demonstrates its "moral virtue" -- i.e., its parochial self-absorption...