Lincoln was a slime ball no question he tailored his speech message to the crowd. He had no moral compass at all.
Which did not stop you from quoting him when you felt it served -your- point.
Nice that you've set yourself up as an expert slime ball.
Lincoln was a politician. That means knowing what appeals to a given audience. It doesn't necessarily mean one is without principle. One has to get elected. That means winning over people with different views, rather than antagonizing them.
I wonder if a lot of the animosity towards Lincoln as a politician (or statesman, which is what we call successful politicians who've passed on) doesn't reflect the long one party heritage of the South. South Carolina was a one party state before the Civil War, and didn't even count the popular vote for president. Mississippi wasn't far behind as a monoparty state.
The north was made to hate through the media. Which was controled by the rich, like today. The north wasnt smart enough to see they were being used.