"He bribed those outgoing, lame-duck Democratic Party congressmen, trading the cushy post of postmaster general for a ’yes’ vote and dealing away lifetime appointments as federal judges."

"To win over one stubborn congressman, he even went so far as to use his presidential authority to release the man’s nephew, who had been captured while serving in the Southern Army."

"In those few months that decided the nation’s fate, this great emancipator was the most ruthless, most corrupt politician in all of Washington."

"If he had refused to make those deals, the black slaves might have had to groan under their shackles for another fifty years."

"A saint can’t sit in that seat, Leo."

Roosevelt’s voice rose a few notches.

"And do you think I’m a saint?"

"In 1940, Nazi tanks were crushing Europe, and the British were bleeding. But my people didn’t want to go to war. They were lost in the beautiful dream of isolationism."

"To drag the United States into this war, I secretly met with Churchill in the Atlantic. I bypassed Congressional authorization and sent fifty destroyers to the United Kingdom."

"Months before Pearl Harbor, I used an oil embargo to induce Japan to fire the first shot."

"Back then, half of the people in the United States were cursing my name."

"They called me a dictator, a warmonger, a liar dragging the country into an abyss."

"But I didn’t care."

"Because I knew that if I didn’t do it, the free world would perish."

Roosevelt stared at Leo.

"Leo, you need to remember this." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"The leaders who leave behind a perfect reputation in history usually do so because they did nothing and shouldered no responsibility."

"But those who truly want to accomplish great things must be prepared to be misunderstood, attacked, and scorned."

"You must be prepared to get your hands dirty for that goal in your heart that simply must be achieved."

"This is the imperfection of a leader, and also the price they pay."

"The last time you sat in this room, you were just inviting the Demon to a dance."

"Back then, you only had to give him some superficial promises, and in return, he gave you a touch of benevolent neutrality. It was a light social engagement, a test run with no real cost."

"But today is different, Leo."

"Today, you’re here to make him bleed."

"You’re here to make him betray his political allies of decades, to make him confront the bureaucracy in Harrisburg, and to make him stake the Morganfield Family’s credibility on your gamble."

"A betrayal of that magnitude can’t be bought with pretty slogans like ’win-win.’"

"You must pay a price."

"That’s why I’m here, Leo."

"That is why I am not some ghost haunting a library at Harvard, nor am I resting in peace in my grave at Hyde Park. Instead, I’m crammed inside this anxious, coal-smoke-filled head of yours."

"Changing the United States... it starts now. Right here."

Roosevelt issued his final challenge.

"Now, answer me."

"To feed the starving workers of Pittsburgh, to get that five hundred million US Dollars in bonds issued, to give this city a real future."

"Are you prepared not just to dance with the Demon, but to cut off a piece of your soul and feed it to him with your own hands?"

"Are you prepared to become a truly wicked man?"

"Are you prepared to bear the infamy of selling out the port, to be condemned and cursed by your former supporters?"

"If you can’t even shoulder that much infamy, then get the hell back to your university and write your papers. Don’t sit in this seat and ruin people’s lives."