Teddy Roosevelt was cited by all four of the remaining candidates who debated last night

as the most admired president of the opposing party. Can someone fill me in on what he accomplished when fighting special interest? Can someone like Edwards effectively follow in his footsteps today? Sounds like the candidates have been listening to a lot of Thom Hartman.

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=213&sid=1311819



New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: "Teddy Roosevelt. He busted the trusts. He knew we couldn't have monopolies. He had an idea that I consider to be just as relevant today. That the welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us."

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: "Teddy Roosevelt, because he stood up for what I would describe as the little guy, stood up for the little guy with a lot courage against some very powerful opposition."

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: "Teddy Roosevelt, because he challenged special interests to lead a progressive movement."

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: "Teddy Roosevelt, because I broke his handshaking record. I also admire him because he was a great conservationist." Richardson shook 13,392 hands in eight hours Sept. 14, 2002, while campaigning for governor, breaking Roosevelt's record of handshakes by a politician. Roosevelt shook 8,513 hands while greeting guests at the White House on a day in 1907.

TR actually didnt bust all the trusts, although he gets the credit. He distinguished between "good" trusts and "bad" trusts.

His successor William Howard Taft actually busted more trusts than TR.

Edwards has been mentioning Teddie R. for months