Generally Lincoln

In the United States, however, a Lincoln revival is on. In a broadbased survey of intellectuals late last year, the influential Atlantic Monthly found enough of a groundswell to hail him as the most influential American ever.

Another indicator of popular interest too weighs in in Lincoln’s support. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin has topped the bestseller lists for long stretches in the past two years. This study of Lincoln’s cabinet shows him less as a melancholy figure, and more as an astute reader of the mood of his times to carry along the widest possible cross-section of elite and society. Coming against the backdrop of the divisions amongst American policy and opinionmakers on Iraq, the book also feeds into a yearning for enlightened leadership.

Team of Rivals gathers in the early pages the tussle for the Republican nomination in 1960 between four men. Lincoln was by no means the frontrunner, but it is believed that the keenness of the rivalry amongst the other three led to his unexpected victory. And upon winning the presidency, Lincoln himself conceded the amazing quality of the other three’s candidatures.

In fact, he inducted those very — by all accounts, bitter — men into his cabinet. Goodwin shows how Lincoln carried them along by his shrewdness in reading the public mood and his self-honesty in prioritising the requirements of his office.

As for the quote Musharraf used in his TV address, it comes from Lincoln’s famous “if slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong” letter justifying the recruitment of slaves as soldiers in the army. General Musharraf’s own bestselling memoir, In the Line of Fire, had long passages on Ataturk. May we expect the sequel to clarify the Lincoln shift?

Ads By Google

Message*	Maximum characters allowed

Name*		Email ID*
Subject*		Country*

TERMS OF USE:
The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

I agree to the terms of use.

Mail this page