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The most that you can say about Lincoln's quest for equal rights for blacks is that he was interrupted in that quest.

Ridiculous waltrot. Lincoln himself said that he did not want to give rights to all, but only to some. The ones he deemed to be "very intelligent" and to the ones who served in his military. Most in his party wanted to grant full rights to blacks, without his type of exclusionary and 'non-hereditary' conditions. He made his statements to separate himself from them and clarify that he did not want full rights for blacks as American citizens.

Lincoln was seeing what people --would-- accept. He used this technique throughout his presidency.

Once again your fantasy is dependent upon your bizarre belief that Lincoln never meant what he wrote or said, and that it always meant something else. You consider Mr. Lincoln to be "DIShonest Abe", a pathological liar incapable of either writing or speaking what he really meant. As Lincoln once said: "I fear explanations explanatory of things explained." LOL - That's what your revisionist fraud is, Walt, "explanations explanatory of things explained". If I have to choose between your explanation of what Lincoln meant versus his, I think I'll go with his.

Follow your idea to its conclusion. All 179,000 black union soldiers become voters. The war ends. Then what?

Based on the conditional and exclusionary ideas of black suffrage that he professed days before his death, their children would either have to join the army or pass black "intelligence" tests to earn full rights. He would have created an entire subclass of secondary citizens at the very time many or most in his party wanted to grant full rights to blacks. He was opposing their desire to give blacks full rights when he made those statements. He was opposing the very idea you try to give him credit for.

Are no more allowed to become voters? Except maybe the very intelligent?

Based on what he said they could join the military. His political opponents wanted full unconditional rights for blacks, unlike Lincoln, and they made sure Lincoln's exclusionary and conditional idea of black suffrage was outlawed.

That sure doesn't keep whites from voting.

You are only pointing out that Lincoln's wish to grant rights to "the very intelligent" blacks clearly shows that he believed it took the very 'best' black man to equal any white.

Lincoln was clearly clearing the way for equal rights for blacks.

LOL - Lincoln was clearly separating himself from those that wanted to grant full rights to blacks by proclaiming his personal view that full rights should only be given to "the very intelligent" blacks, and those that served in his military.