Library of Congress: Theodore Roosevelt- 'Shall We Prepare?'

Source: Donald Brynelsen- "Theodore Roosevelt Preparedness against War: Great Quotes."

Source:The Daily View

"Summary
Two sequences of TR: Sequence 1: views of TR walking onto the porch of Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay, N.Y., facing the camera, and then speaking on military preparedness during WWI; Sequence 2: views of TR sitting at his desk in the Metropolitan Magazine office in New York City and speaking with a man who may be Carl Hovey, editor of the magazine...

From the Library of Congress

Source: Library of Congress- Theodore Roosevelt, talking about the need for a strong national defense.

Conservatives tend to be labeled as the hawks in America when it comes to national security and foreign policy, especially the Neoconservatives and for good reason. Because they tend to talk and sometimes it's just talk about the need for a strong national defense in America and America is special as being the leader of the world and setting the example that other countries, especially in the developed world to follow.

But what tends not to get mentioned is that it was Progressives and even Progressive Democrats like President Woodrow Wilson, that moved America from being a dovish isolationist country that didn’t believed it needed a strong national defense, if America simply didn’t get involved in the rest of the world, to developing America into the world power that its today. America is still the only country in the history of the world thats a developed country, a free country, and a superpower.

That started with President Woodrow Wilson, but former President Theodore Roosevelt, another Progressive but Progressive Republican and then later a member of the Progressive Party and their 1912 presidential nominee, believed America needed to be strong both economically, but also have a strong national defense. That would make America so strong that no other country would even try to attack us. But to help other countries and our allies when they’re under attack by an aggressive power.

What a lot of Americans I don’t believe understand is that Progressives got us involved in World War I under President Woodrow Wilson, moved us to becoming a world power and tried to create what was called the League of Nations in the 19 teens, that would later be recreated as the United Nations in the 1940s. But Progressives under President Franklin Roosevelt got us involved in World War II in the 1940s and created our National Security State.

A Department of State that works and talks with the rest of the world, including our opponents.

The Department of Defense that is responsible for our own national defense, but works with our allies to keep the peace in places like Europe.

The Central Intelligence Agency that is reasonable for making sure America has the best available information about what both our allies and foes are doing.

Our National Security Council that brings all of these agencies and departments together to see that information is being shared. Progressives are responsible for making America the world power that it is today.

Again, I feel the need to talk about progressive stereotypes, but Progressives get labeled basically as softies if not wimps, and perhaps you have a stronger word. As people who don’t even believe in having a national defense, let alone a national defense. Doves who believe that the job of government is do nothing but look after our economic and physical well-beings, even at the cost of our individual freedom. Except when it comes to national security and law enforcement. When the fact is historically and even now, Progressives have a stronger record when it comes to foreign policy and national security, even strong than some Conservatives especially Conservative Libertarians.