26 March 2006

Senators Then And Now.

One of the more off color arguments for U.S. Senator Kerry in his race for the Presidency in 2004, was that as a sailor in the U.S. Navy he had killed a lot guys, which in truth, he had.

But, in the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar, at age twenty-four, in 69 BC, is reputed to have organized his own private military expedition to kill hundreds of pirates who had kidnapped him.

Of course, we have had a Presidential candidate who did something similar in recent times. His name: Ross Perot, who organized an expedition to free his employees who had been held hostage in the Middle East.

Apparently, this kind of action is no longer a political plus. Neither man, won their election.

Hat Tip to Stygius.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If I recall correctly, Julius Caesar himself was never exactly elected. He mainly showed up outside the city with a feisty army.

But I would like to read more about this kidnapping episode at some point. It seems Caesar was really blazing a trail when it came to privatized military operations.

Andrew Oh-Willeke said...

For part of the history of Rome, the way you won office was by being the person who paid the highest tax bill in your jurisdiction.