Historical Revisionism 101

The folks at Politico have their obligatory "take Obama down a peg" article for the week, this time focusing on the fact that he is not actually Abraham Lincoln. Nooooo shit.

In order to have an outside source for this article, Politico sought out Sean Wilentz, an "historian" whose bitter screeds during the primary in favor of Hillary Clinton earned him ridicule from his peers, and lifelong fans from the NoQuarter "Obama is a Muslim" crowd.

Sean Wilentz, a scholar in American history at Princeton, said many presidents have sought to frame themselves in the historical legacies of illustrious predecessors, but he couldn't find any examples quite so brazen.

"Sure, they've looked back to Washington and even, at times, Jackson. Reagan echoed and at times swiped FDR's rhetoric," said Wilentz. "But there's never been anything like this, and on this scale. Ever."

Except for Bill Clinton, who the press dubbed the torch bearer of Camelot and whose boyhood picture with the slain President was peddled more than marijuana at a Phish concert.

The only actual example of Barack Obama directly comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln in the article is this, "Not only is Lincoln one of my political heroes," Obama said, "but like Lincoln, I served for seven years in Springfield in the state Senate, and it's there I learned how to legislate, it's there that I developed many of my political ideas."

How dare he make completely valid and historically accurate comparisons between himself and one of the two Presidents to come from Illinois. I imagine if Obama had been a wartime General and a bit of a lush from Illinois, he might've compared himself to Ulysees S. Grant.

The truth is, of all the Presidents to come before Obama, he has the most in common with Abraham Lincoln...that he is remembered as one of the best Presidents is the coincidental part. Both were transplants to Illinois, both lawyers, both State Legislators, both served briefly in the US Congress, both are relatively young, both are known in part for their oratory, and both are tall (though Lincoln was far taller).

Does Obama have a bit of an obsession with the Lincoln Presidency? Perhaps, but most Presidents have a favorite predecessor to whom they look to for guidance from beyond the grave. I'd rather Barack Obama aim high and fall short, than succumb to mediocrity before he even starts the job.