But then in all his words if not deeds Jefferson was so beautifully human, so eminently vague, so entirely dishonest but not in any meretricious way. Rather it was a passionate form of self-delusion that rendered Jefferson as president and as man {not to mention as writer of tangled sentences and lunatic metaphors} confusing even to his admirers. Proclaiming the unalienable rights of man for everyone {excepting slaves, Indians, women and those entirely without property}, Jefferson tried to seize the Floridas by force, dreamed of a conquest of Cuba, and after his illegal purchase of Louisiana sent a military governor to rule New Orleans against the will of its inhabitants.
( Gore Vidal )
[ Burr ]
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