He was a "war president." In fact, the war over which he presided may have claimed more American lives than all other wars combined. But he's not remembered that way.He was the poet president. The man with the kind yet sad smile. He hated the killing business. Though born and raised in the frontier, he never hunted or fished, not even as a boy. Religious revivals were all the rage, but he never joined a church. In a wilderness full of tobacco and whiskey, he neither smoked nor drank. As a Captain during the Black Hawk War, the only time he risked his life was to save an old Indian who had stumbled into his men's camp. But he told great stories, so he was forgiven his imperfections.
To his generals' dismay, he had an annoying habit of pardoning young men who fell asleep on sentry duty or who deserted. "If Almighty God gives a man a cowardly pair of legs how can he help their running away with him?" He often asked whether a "soldier can better serve the country dead than living."
Happy birthday, Abe. The country misses you.
Lincoln was a Republican, but his was no party of oppression or imperialism. Iraq (and Iran) would have no appeal to him. Here's what Kurt Vonnegut thinks.
[I]t is almost always a mistake to mention Abraham Lincoln in a speech about something or somebody else. He always steals the show. I am about to quote him.
Lincoln was only a Congressman when he said in 1848 what I am about to echo. He was heartbroken and humiliated by our war on Mexico, which had never attacked us.
We were making California our own, and a lot of other people and properties, and doing it as though butchering Mexican soldiers who were only defending their homeland against invaders wasn’t murder.
What other stuff besides California? Well, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
The person congressman Lincoln had in mind when he said what he said was James Polk, our president at the time. Abraham Lincoln said of Polk, his president, our armed forces’ commander-in-chief: "Trusting to escape scrutiny by fixing the public gaze upon the exceeding brightness of military glory, that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood — that serpent’s eye, that charms to destroy, he plunged into war."
Holy smokes! I almost said, "Holy shit!" And I thought I was a writer!
15 comments:
You are talking about one who I consider to be the best president we ever had who was probably one of the most maligned and hated when he was in office. God bless history and perspective.
The man who said, "Now he belongs to the ages," called him a gorilla the first time he saw him.
I read last week, for the first time, that President Zachary Taylor had offered Lincoln the position of Territorial Governor of Oregon in 1850. Can you imagine how history may have changed if he took that job. Almost every town square in Pa. would be missing it union soldier statue. My great grandfather would not have been at the point of the fish hook on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg etc.
Bernie, it's not just any Lincoln's birthday today: it's his 200th birthday. You can check out all the celebrations around the U.S. HERE:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-11-04-lincoln-bicentennial_N.htm
The President and Mrs. Obama are going to Springfield, Illinois to day for the celebration.
The Phila. Inky has a nice piece on all the new Lincoln books arriving for this historic birthday HERE:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/entertainment/books/20081102_A__Lincoln_turning_200.html
I'm reading Fred Kaplan's 2008 "Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer", a Christmas gift which chronicles "Lincoln's genius with language".
Thankfully, our current President has steeped himself in his fellow Illinois leader -- and what better choice could Obama have made to try and emulate ?
Happy 200th, Abe :-)
Mike, Thanks for your note concerning the Governorship of Oregon. I remember that Lincoln had tried to get a federal appointment and think he was also offered a position in California.
The swipe at Republicans was an unnecessary, albeit typical grunt. This, especially in light of the current Democrat's bombing of Pakistani civilians. That, and the pesky fact that our current Sec'y of State voted to enter both wars and supported their prosecution throughout her Senate career.
The selective finger pointing is curious, but, again, typical.
Dead Pakistani,
This is a tribute to Lincoln, the first Republican President. It is not intended as a slam at his party.
Don,
Lincoln is not just my favorite President. He is my favorite person. I've read numerous (about 20) of the over 5,000 biographies. When he is painted as a man instead of a myth, he is even more appealing.
I understand Obama's admiration for Lincoln. But unlike Obama, Lincoln was never viewed as a Messiah or rock star. He was, as LadyRep accurately states, a very unpopular man during most of his presidency. He battled depression and tragedies most of his life.
What sets him apart intellectually is his capacity to evolve. Unlike most of us, who tend to form opinions and stick to them no matter what the facts may be, Lincoln could and did change his thinking as facts persuaded him.
Thanks for the link to the Inky article. I'll be checking it out.
Perhaps the best way to not intend to slam Lincoln's party is to not slam it.
He supported slavery, depending upon the state in which he was campaigning. He suspended Habeas Corpus. He set up his son to make a killing on insider railroad deals. He also preserved the union with a number of decisive actions. The story of his two week funeral train and the few grainy photos of it have always gripped me. He was a complicated and compelling figure. I highly recommend visiting Ford's Theater as well.
Dead Pakistani,
I make no apology. The D and R party are both parties of opression. In fact, the D party and partisanship really solidified during Jackson's time, and he used it to push through legislation that forced Indian removal. But my focus here is Lincoln, not his party.
As far as having different positions concerning slavery in different states, Lincoln had different views about slavery that evolved over time. By the time he was assassinated, he was fully prepared to start arguing for black suffrage.
He did suspend habeas, which happends to be constitutionally permissible during a time of rebellion.
He was not in a very good position to set up his son because his life was cut short. What he did do was ensure that his son got a good education. He was always troubled by his own lack of education.
He is a complicated and compelling figure.
What was actually said was "now he belongs to the Angels". It became "now he belongs to the ages" soon there after.
Anon 12:44, Thanks for that.
Did his supporters ever ask him for a new kitchen? If not why?
Allentown Democrat Voter
Intellegent conversation and commentary by any other name speaks volumes.
"the Bishop's cousin"
He was a good Bishop, too. He used to give my sister ice cream and dollar bills.
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