I'm currently reading about the Pelopennesian Wars.
It seems Pericles, leader of Athens, was so good at frustrating his political adversaries that they fabricated charges of graft, embezzlement and whatnot. Although Pericles would ultimately provide a full accounting of his finances the charges were dredged up by his opponents when they later sought to interfere with his defensive strategy against the Spartans in the Second Pelopennesian War.
It immediately reminded me of the faux scandals slung against our current POTUS and how those baseless allegations have been used to impugn the motives for prosecuting the GWoT.
Historical LOL Moment of the Day - The Athenians had levied an embargo against the city of Megara for its aid rendered to the Corinthians in a precursor battle to the Second War. In an effort to defuse the crisis the Spartans demanded the embargo be rescinded as a promise to peaceful settlement. Pericles preferred to submit the matter to arbitration per the terms of the treaty that ended the First War also fearing that asceding to such a request would open the gates to further foreign demands. To show his rebuff Pericles, declared that an obscure Athenian law forbade him from taking down the tablet upon which the law of the emabrgo was inscribed.
The Spartans replied, "Then do not take it down. Turn it around. Surely there is no law against that."
