Is Obama The New Abraham Lincoln?

The latest modern-day politician to be compared to Abraham Lincoln is presidential candidate Barack Obama. And the person comparing him to Lincoln is none other than master film maker Ken Burns, of "Civil War" fame.

In "The Trail" blog from the Washington Post, Burns is quoted as endorsing Obama, praising him for his "moral courage" and "unironic posture." He goes on to compare him to Lincoln, restating how Lincoln was basically unknown and had limited experience in national politics, just as Lincoln did prior to winning the presidency.

The point that most people miss when comparing modern-day politicians to Abraham Lincoln is that Lincoln was a brilliant politician with exceedingly rare leadership skills. Comparing Obama or any other of the major candidates to Abraham Lincoln is pointless, because we don't really know how a person can or cannot lead if elected to the highest office in the land. And it especially makes no sense to say that someone is equal to Lincoln because that person has limited experience just as Lincoln did.

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Abraham Lincoln A Psychic?

Was Abraham Lincoln a psychic? Yes, claims a recent book titled "The Psychic Life Of Abraham Lincoln", written by Susan Martinez, who is a self-professed "spiritualist." Today's Chicago Sun-Times contains a brief article about this book and the author's claims. It appears that she makes the claim simply because Lincoln attended a handful of seances with his wife Mary after the death of their son, Willie. Most historians claim that he attended them simply to pacify Mary, who was desperately trying to reach her dead son in any way possible.

I'd think a better claim for any latent psychic ability Lincoln may have had would be based on his dreams, which are well-documented in numerous sources. For example, Lincoln had a very vivid dream just a couple of weeks before he died that he found himself amongst mourners in the White House. When he asked "Who died?" in his dream, he was told that the president had been killed by an assassin. He also had the same recurring dream of being on a ship or boat, rapidly nearing a shore, before momentous occasions in his life. He had this dream before major Civil War battles, and had it again shortly before his death.

The book might be a fun read, but it doesn't strike me as being essential for one's Lincoln library. Seems like it's another one of these books which are speculative at best, along those which claim Lincoln was gay, or that he had some terrible disease of some kind or another.

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Upcoming Books About Lincoln

There has never been a shortage of books about Abraham Lincoln. There are one-volume and multi-volume biographies, books on his marriage, books about his physical and mental health, books questioning his sexuality, and books about his humor. More books have been written about Lincoln than any other U.S. President, with the possible exception of Washington.

And still the books come. From the Library Journal comes a list of new and upcoming books about Lincoln. The more intriguing ones to me, at least, will be "Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates That Defined America" by Allen Guelzo (April 2008) and "Lincoln and the Court" by Brian McGinty (February 2008).

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Abe In Living Color

The five dollar bill is the latest U.S. currency note to undergo a makeover. According to this article from the Associated Press, the new 5$ bill will feature a larger portrait of Lincoln, some color (check out the snazzy purple 5 on the reverse), and some other high tech changes.

The goal, of course, by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is to help thwart counterfeiting. That's all well and good, but I can' t help but think of "Monopoly" money when I see this and the other new bills. Somehow, our currency no longer looks dignified. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Next up for a redesign is Ben Franklin and the $100 bill.

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Followup: New Lincoln Photo At Gettysburg

Today's Washington Post contains a followup article about the recent discovery of a potentially "new" photo of Abraham Lincoln taken at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. As I posted in this blog on November 16 of this year, John Richter, a longtime collector of Civil War photos, was examining various photos on the Library of Congress website when he thought he noticed something "suspicious" in the background of a crowd scene taken at Gettysburg on the day of the dedication of the cemetery. After enlarging the photo 60 times, the new image of "Lincoln" popped out.

The new photograph (actually a series of two or three of them) was presented at last month's Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg, an annual gathering of Lincoln historians. The prominent Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer firmly believes that this new image is indeed that of Lincoln, but states that he would love to shout "turn around!" to be sure. However, not everyone in the audience was as convinced. The only other known photo of Lincoln taken that day at Gettysburg shows another man wearing a full beard and stovepipe hat standing next to Lincoln on the presenters' stand. Some people have suggested the figure in that photo is the same gentleman in the "new" photo. My personal opinion (and hope) is that this new photo does indeed show Lincoln. To my eyes, at least, the man's slender build is proof enough for me. The gentleman in the known photo appears to be much bulkier than the one in the "new" one.

We will probably never know for sure. If this photo is indeed a new one of Lincoln, it would be one of only about 125 known photos of the 16th president.

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Rudy Giuliani's Own "Team Of Rivals"?

At a recent town hall meeting in Chicago, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani was asked if he'd consider adding Republican rivals to his cabinet, as did Abraham Lincoln. Giuliani thought it would be a "great idea," because after all, he's read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius Of Abraham Lincoln."

Yet another modern candidate is apparently trying to emulate Lincoln. The operative words in Goodwin's book in my opinion are "Political" and "Genius." Are any of the current crop of Republican (or Democrat) candidates "political geniuses"? That remains to be seen, of course, and only time will tell. But if past performance is any indication, I would have to think not.

Then, of course, if Giuliani wins election to the presidency, he would have to be wise enough to select his "team of rivals" for their intelligence and abilities. Do any of those other candidates measure up to a Secretary of State like William Seward? Would any of the potential Department of Defense chiefs match up well to Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary of War? Any folks with the ability of Salmon B. Chase to head up Treasury?

Finally, the President has to be a strong enough leader to be able to hold a cabinet of strong-willed and ambitious people together. Our nation desperately needs a leader, a true leader, who can show the courage to assemble a cabinet of high ability with the propensity for action when necessary, and restraint when warranted. A leader who can unite this country and begin solving the many problems which face us now and in the future. I fear that none of this current crop of candidates have this ability.

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Indiana State Superintendent Recommends Lincoln Books

From today's Indianapolis Star comes the annual list of recommended books from the Indiana Superintendent of Public Education which people might want to consider when purchasing gifts. Dr. Suellen Reed this year has included a separate list of books about Abraham Lincoln since she wants Indiana students to learn as much as possible about him prior to the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009.

Her list of recommended books may be found here. You'll need Adobe Acrobat to read the pdf file. The list seems to be fairly inclusive and is broken down by grades. I'd suggest that she add David Donald's superb "Lincoln" biography. Another book would be "Twenty Days," the wonderful book by Philip Kundhart and Dorothy Meserve Kundhart which details the Lincoln assassination and each of the funerals. This would seem to be especially important for Indiana students since one of Lincoln's funerals was held in Indianapolis.

Indiana is planning major activities and ceremonies for the Lincoln Bicentennial. Here is a link for the website.

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