"You foolish boy."
Roosevelt sighed.
"The promises you made to him, while useful, are all replaceable."
"What he wants is you."
Leo was stunned. "Me?"
"That's right," Roosevelt explained. "Do you think he cares whether you made a deal with Morganfield? No. He cares about who was on your mind when you made that deal."
"Through this silence, he's asking you a question."
"He's asking: when the day comes that the local interests of Pittsburgh must be sacrificed for the grand strategic interests of the entire Progressive movement; or when he launches a difficult charge in Washington and needs someone on the local level to take the heat, to shield him from the cannon fire, to even die for him..."
"Will you be the so-called ally who still haggles with him, calculating your gains and losses?"
"Or will you be the soldier who follows orders unconditionally, who fights for his banner?"
Roosevelt's words were a splash of cold water, waking Leo completely.
