Finality Quotes

He was one of the 3 regents who governed Egypt for the young pharaoh Ptolemy XIII. Rome was in the midst of a civil war with Julius Caesar pitted against Pompey. Rome expected the independent states of the Roman Empire to render aid and assistance to Roman officials who needed same. Pompey with a small fleet and army was being chased by Caesar and arrived at the Egyptian shore demanding assistance. As one of the Roman triumverate, he could take over the Egyptian Kingdom if they let him. And Egypt would be at war with Egypt with Pompey. If they refused him supplies and assistance, Pompey would have later taken it out on Egypt for not honoring their obligation if he defeated Caesar. Theodotus’ famous quotation was accepted by the other two regents. After telling Pompey they would help him, when he landed, the killed and beheaded him. Caesar arrived two days later and Theodotus made the mistake of delivering to Caesar the head and signet ring of Pompey. Caesar was furious. And his dislike of Theodotus and the other two regents, was one of the reasons that he installed Cleopatra, the older sister of Ptolemy XIII as the co-ruler, thus putting Theodotus and the other regents out of a job as Cleopatra was just old enough to rule in her own right and for her brother. The three Regents took the young king and organized an Egyptian attack on Caesar and Cleopatra. Caesar was badly out numbered with only a single Legion. However, with Cleopatra, the two with some loyal Egyptians held out in the Palace until Caesar’s other legions arrived, killed the other two regents and Theodotus just managed to escape and he lived in exile until he was tracked down and murdered in 42 BC. Cleopatra became the most powerful, richest, and best Pharaoh that Egypt had ever had, and her history with Caesar and later Marc Antony are legend.

This statement was like many of the Yogi Berra quotations, with few understanding the point Bush was trying to make.

The fear of nuclear war was a major emotion for most people in the world at the time. Hard liners like Goldwater were concerned that that fear would undermine support for greater nuclear development and deployment in America and maintaining opposition to nuclear test ban treaties that were under discussion. He made the mistake however of referring to the fear as “craven”, morally denigrating any American who might be in fear of nuclear war, which included just about everyone. So the Democrats took this quotation and used it in their battery of TV ads showing Goldwater as not only a hard liner, but one who had no empathy or understanding for a normal person who feared a nuclear conflict—one who was not to be trusted with the Presidency. Had Goldwater simply argued that legitimate and reasonable fear of nuclear conflict might make the nation too timid and perhaps inadvertently increase the likelihood of nuclear disaster by not standing up to the Russians, he may not have had the resentment from most people who thought Goldwater was calling their fears “craven”.