[elk]

Hmmmm....I haven't yet gathered enough info to make an informed opinion about Lincoln. Having been treated to a public school education, I have had to go back and systematically research a ton of assumptions I was spoon-fed, and I'm not exempting Lincoln just because his face is on a coin.

That said, has anyone looked into Executive Order 11, or been to the Lone Jack, MO, Civil War Museum? I've learned a great deal, to include a great deal of misery created from both North and South in the Kansas City area. There was what appears to be essentially a genocide executed by Lincoln in that area. Yes, I'm going to throw the G-word. There was a lot of ugly going on - a lot of good folks stuck in the middle, and a lot of soldiers feeling entitled to "take" whatever they wanted from even families and farmers on their own side who were following orders.

So, until I can further study, I'm reserving judgment.

[mmercier]

Lincoln was one of the most complex individuals landing in a position of power when a Republic was trying to sort out an irreconcilable issue; This issue sorted itself out by millions of armed people who just started shooting the crap out of each other at random points and places. If the obama was in his position then, we would still hold slaves.

One has to fall back to Roman times to make a comparison to a single man being charged with with such a responsibility; pulling it off in reasonably acceptable manner without being killed.

None were perfect people.

The winners wrote the books we read. Abe still took one for the team, after the fact.