User:Dbachmann/Roman and US empires

the comparison is somewhat arbitrary, you could compare the history of any empire with that of any other, but nevertheless very instructive.

I am quite intrigued with the position of Commodus that emerges for George W. Bush. Dio Cassius' verdict of
 * not naturally wicked but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions

could be taylored to the early 21st century president. Wikipedia's ''Though he has become a byword for insane caprice, it is difficult to assess his character from the written sources. His recorded actions do, however, tend to show a rejection of his father’s policies, his father’s advisers, and especially his father’s austere lifestyle'' doesn't sit quite right, but the insanity and the related dominant father certainly sound familiar. Likewise, the hubris, He thought of himself as the reincarnation of Hercules, frequently emulating the legendary hero's feats by appearing in the arena to fight a variety of wild animals (a gladiator at the time had the prestige of, let's say, a fighter pilot).