The Bull Moose and Old Hickory

Over the past several days, much ink has been spilled on the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate and former president, Theodore Roosevelt. I'm sure you can guess why people might be talking about it.The day - October 14th. The year - 1912. Four years prior, Roosevelt had stepped away from Presidential aspirations after serving a duly-elected term and finishing the first of William McKinley’s, which he had inherited after the latter’s assassination in 1901. Roosevelt had promised the public that he would not seek a second full term - a promise he honored. Instead, he shuffled a close personal friend and Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, into the driver’s seat of the Republican Party. With the Rough Rider’s support, Taft would handily defeat the legendary left-wing populist, William Jennings Bryan for the honor of being the 27th President of the United States. Unfortunately for everyone involved - especially the American public - Taft proved to be… well, it could...