Not much else to say

Perhaps, though ignorance, I might have committed acts deserving of censure during my long career of public service.  But I can assure you that I will give my word that my intentions have always been the most sincere, and I have directed my acts towards the glory and service of my country.  Never have I deviated for even an instant from the paths that duty and honor have set before me.  If my activities have been somewhat excessive, they have been prompted by my zeal and desire to serve my country in the fullest.

It’s a shame it was only published long after his death by his grandson (and not translated into English until 1967), but General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana’s “The Eagle” should be required reading for any disgraced (or disgraceful) politico planning to write their memoirs (or excuses). In that one paragraph, written from his uncomfortable exile in the Bahamas in 1872,  Santa Ana proved he still had the rhetorical flair of his prime, when it came to weasel-words.

… And, if you’re wondering why I’m not posting as much, no weasel-words here. I’m busy with other things.