(Commentary) Robert F. Bruner, dean emeritus of UVA’s Darden School of Business and a student of presidential leadership, argued that “Eisenhower’s warmth and optimism were instruments of his political influence.” … Theodore Roosevelt, described by UVA political scientist Sidney Milkis as “the first modern president of the United States,” today is criticized for primitive views on race, promiscuous use of executive orders, and an assertive foreign policy that bordered on ethnic chauvinism. But he also was a master of optimism.