[GOPcapitalist]

These analogies of the doomsayers that Lincoln faced to those oozing out of the gutter against Dubya are fascinating - and quite accurate.

I have to disagree with you there. Hanson's article is a brilliant piece of political sophistry and it conveys a rhetorically appealing analogy. But as I was telling another in a discussion of this article, it lacks strength as a sound logical argument. It only works as long as one accepts Hanson's own severely oversimplified, selectively presented, and, in parts, imprecise and inaccurate account of civil war history. Subject it to a fuller accounting of historical events and Hanson's argument is exposed as a carefully constructed rhetorical device rather than an intellectually meritous analysis of events.

All of that in a word: Hanson presented a storybook version of Abe Lincoln that was intentionally crafted to parallel what he sees as Bush's current situation in the closest way possible thereby permitting him to take advantage of the recollective abilities of his readers.

[Happy2BMe]

If the comparison had been between 41 and Lincoln instead of 43 and Lincoln, would it have been more accurate?

Thanks for the dissertation.