Replies

From GOPcapitalist:

I said specifically: "The historical Lincoln was perfectly willing to tolerate slavery where it existed and only moved to end it as a war time strategy."

FROM YOU, INDICATING YOUR PURPORTED RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE:
I said: And that is simply not true by any fair reading of these events.

But wait, that is NOT what your actual response to my above statement was. Your actual response said, and I quote, "Your statement that Lincoln opposed slavery only as a war measure is simply NOT supported in the record."

In that case, you are SPECIFICALLY attributing a statement to me (as in "your statement that...") which I did not make (I did not say "lincoln opposed slavery only as a war measure," I said "Lincoln was perfectly willing to tolerate slavery where it existed and only moved to end it as a war time strategy."). That makes it a straw man - you attributed an argument to me that I did not make. It resembled one I made but differed in key elements as your attributed argument is less specific and accordingly weaker than the argument I actually made. Hence, you are guilty of constructing scarecrows.

So it is hardly a straw man to quote you and then refute what you say

Indeed, that would not be a straw man. But that is not what you did as you did not quote me. Instead you generalized and modified my argument, then restated it in terms where it had been altered. That makes it a straw man.

but it is getting sort of comical to cover the same ground over and over

Indeed it is, just as your increasingly desparate debate tactics are becoming quite comical themselves.

but that is the nature of these vanities regarding poor old Lincoln.

Perhaps where you are involved, in which case I would not be surprised.

Now, it is simply -not- fair to say that Lincoln only became interested in the slavery issue in 1861.

Indeed it would not be fair to say that, but that is a moot point as nobody ever said that other than you in denouncing it.

He opposed slavery throughout his life.

Yet he was willing to endorse a constitutional amendment designed to perpetuate, protect, and even expand its presence...

But we can continue to spin this out as long as you like.

You can continue spinning it all you want. I need only respond by directly citing the plane historical fact of Lincoln's endorsement of the amendment.