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A voice from the deep-distant past. Teddy Roosevelt was considered to be the first Progressive President of the United States. During his time in office from 1901, (following the assassination of William McKinley) until 1908, he Created the National Park Service as we know it today. He signed into law the Pure Food and Drug Act, Child Labor laws, campaigned for a Healthcare System (which just goes to show you how long that argument's been going on), and introduced sweeping Anti-Trust legislation.

In 1912, after unsuccessfully attempting a nomination via the Republican Party, he formed his own Bullmoose Party and ran on a third-party ticket, against Woodrow Wilson.

Here is an address he made during that campaign, recorded on September 22, 1912 - the title of the address is "Liberty Of The People." Since the sound is a little rough (recording was in its infancy at the time), here is a transcript of that address:

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(William Howard Taft - One term President - rumored to be a 1908 version of a RINO)

Continuing our look at people whose names may sound familiar but whose voices don't - William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States. One term Republican who was thought to be a shoe-in for Trusts, Big Business and Wall Street but later instituted anti-Trust laws (not the mention the 16th Amendment which gave us Income Tax) and essentially bit the hand that fed him. Subsequently he tossed the Republicans into a state of disarray which made it possible for Woodrow Wilson to assume the office after the election of 1912.

Aside from his massive girth (over 350 pounds and why oversized bathtubs were named after him) and being the last President to sport facial hair, Taft signaled a wave of anti Big Business feeling that was slowly overtaking the country just prior to World War 1. Monopolies were putting a stranglehold on free enterprise and Taft sought to break that lock.

Here is a speech he recorded in 1909 titled "What Constitutes an Unlawful Trust".

William Howard Taft: “In the proper operation of competition, the public will soon share with the manufacturer the advantage in economy of operation and lower prices. When however, such combinations are not based on any economic principle, but are made merely for the purpose of controlling the market, to maintain or raise prices, restrict output and drive out competitors, the public derives no benefit and we have a monopoly”.

Needless to say, it didn't endear him to the Old Guard Republicans (the base of 1908). And when re-election came in 1912, his old friend Teddy Roosevelt broke ranks and formed the infamous Bullmoose Party which splintered the Republicans even further. Out of the wreckage emerged Woodrow Wilson.

Has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

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(Zbigniew Brzezinski - exploring the concept of Felt Interests)

I realize I haven't been doing enough of these of late - our Foreign Policy going back to Woodrow Wilson. I promise this year to catch up and make this a regular thing. Today it's Zbigniew Brzezinski on the sidelines in 1969, having left the State Department but still very much a presence in on-going East-West relations in 1969. This interview, via Meet The Press on April 6, 1969 comes at a time when the Paris talks with North Vietnam were at a standstill, Russia had invaded Czechoslovakia the previous August and the Middle East was on simmer. Europe was still under the influence of Charles DeGaulle and, with a few changes in players and circumstances, the same as it is today.

Zbigniew Brzezinski: “It seems to me that all major powers reach agreements on the basis of their felt interests at a given time. When that felt interest declines they move away from the agreement. All powers act that way. So do we, incidentally. And I think the point of an agreement is to find an area of common interest which the agreement then crystallizes and expresses. And I think it behooves us to search for these areas of agreement with the Soviet Union, but without exaggerated hopes. Without exaggerated expectations.”

Yes, exaggerated expectations. Something we're all a little too familiar with lately.

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(Teddy Roosevelt - aside from National Parks, also attributed to coining the phrases: Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick and Good To The Last Drop)

Continuing with the other Nobel Peace Prize recipient who was also a sitting President, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (1901, assuming office on the assassination of William McKinley - 1908) received his prize in 1906.

During the election of 1912 he ran as a third party candidate of the Bull Moose Party, losing to Woodrow Wilson (the other Nobel recipient).

Here is a campaign speech he recorded during the 1912 campaign.

Teddy Roosevelt: “The other day in a speech at Sioux Falls, Mister Wilson stated his position when he said the history of government, the history of liberty was the history of the limitation of governmental power. This is true as an academic stigma of history in the past. It is not true as a statement affecting the present.”

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(Woodrow Wilson - Last sitting President to get the Peace Prize)

When the Nobel Peace Prize was recently announced, and the recipient was none other than President Obama, people ran to their history books trying to figure out who was the last sitting President to receive such an honor.

It was Woodrow Wilson, 27th President (even though Wikipedia says 28) (1913-1920), oversaw our involvement in World War 1 and championed The League Of Nations.

If you've never heard him speak (and I suspect a lot of you haven't), here is a campaign address from the 1912 election, when he ran against the third party candidate Teddy Roosevelt (the other Peace Prize recipient - coming up shortly). He's speaking about the role of Labor.

Now you know.