I hope everyone enjoyed President's Day. I know that I did. It is an underappreciated holiday. No one in the non-governmental world gets off to celebrate the birthday of Washington and Lincoln, but many do get off for Martin Luther King Jr., Day. Should not Lincoln get at least as much credit as MLK for Civil Rights? That has always confused me.
Anyway, while reading yesterday I was struck by the similarities in character between Abraham Lincoln and our current President George W. Bush. Both men suffered incredible attacks at the hands of the press, and both seemed immune to it. Both violated Constitutional limits in order to prosecute a war that was unpopular, and that they deemed important. Both used War Powers as justification for that claim although neither was fighting a very traditional war. Both were viewed as honest and trustworthy, despised by the ruling class, but beloved by the ordinary man. I could go on, but it is worth pondering, or at least worth posting. One man can be hated in his day, and given a national holiday after his death. Something to remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment