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The Roman Republic and America

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  The Pantheon   Remember, Roman, that it is yours to lead other people. It is your special gift.      Virgil,  The Aeneid   We are the indispensable nation.  We stand tall.  We see further into the future.      Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright                  Imagine an educated Roman office from around 20 BC. He had spent most of his military career in the last decades of the Roman Republic and now is a legion commander in the first years of the Roman Empire of Caesar Augustus. Rome is at the height of its power and influence, acquired through conquest during the Roman Republic. Now image he was transported through time to today’s Washington. After marveling at the new technology (horseless chariots?), like any curious tourist he would start to look for similarities to his hometown, imperial Rome.   The similarities would not be hard to find.  Both cities have a Capitol Hill. Both have a Senate building for senators to meet and debate. But, as he would predict, foreign p