Teddy Roosevelt! He was a badass, but still a wise politician. Also have a great respect for Eisenhower. He was a noble man, plus he founded People to People Student Ambassadors, the group I'm proudly an alumni of =)
I'm a TR admirer, but I don't think wise is a word I would use to describe him. I've read multiple biographies of him, and he was pretty brash and often acted without thinking things through. That being said he was extremely intelligent, determined, and headstrong, and accomplished all sorts of amazing things in his life.
Correct me if I'm wrong, my American history is a little fuzzy when it comes to the early 1900s, but didn't TR run for a third term? I could have sworn he did, but he just lost.
...Wait a minute, do you mean running for a consecutive third term?
Yes. After being disappointed with his Republican successor, W. Howard Taft, Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 1912. This led to a third party run which essentially split the Republican vote and gave the election to Woodrow Wilson. Had TR simply run for a third term in 1908 he likely would have won.
I can see what you mean there, but even though his political choices were impulsive, he still was a very smart and cultured man, despite his wild spirit. Lots of people are smart, yet over the top.
...Wait a minute, do you mean running for a consecutive third term?