Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027
T 202/691-4000
Lincoln's Memo to Obama
On the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, a distinguished biographer muses on the counsel the Great Emancipator might offer the new president who so often invokes him.
Illinois senator Everett Dirksen observed 50 years ago, “The first task of every politician is to get right with Lincoln.” As the inauguration of President Barack Obama converges with the beginning of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, it is intriguing to think about what Lincoln might say across the years to the new president. In recent election campaigns many politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, have tried to associate themselves with Lincoln. President Obama has moved far beyond the invocation of Lincoln’s words to patterning his political spirit after his 19th-century model. Again and again Obama has buttressed his vision for America by beginning, “As Lincoln said. . . .”
To read the rest of this article, please consider becoming a WQ subscriber, which allows online access to the current WQ issue as well as archive content. Other access options are below.
Research, browse, and discover more than 35 years of articles, essays, and reviews by preeminent scholars and writers. Our searchable archive of back issues is free for WQ subscribers.
 |
 |
 |
Subscribe today
to the WQ Online
and receive immediate access
to the WQ archive for a full year.
Subscribe Now
-
Ronald C. White Jr. is the author of A. Lincoln: A Biography, published in January by Random House. His previous books include Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural (2002), and The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words (2005).
more from this author >>
Robots at War: The New Battlefield
A new way of war is on the horizon. Already, robots and drones are replacing human pilots and foot soldiers in some roles, and in the future they will take over many more. The benefits of removing human soldiers from harm’s way are obvious. But there’s a price to pay when a society can wage war by remote control.The Expeditionary Imperative
America’s national security structure is designed to confront the challenges of the last century rather than our own.McCulture
Americans have developed an admirable fondness for books, food, and music that preprocess other cultures. But for all our enthusiasm, have we lost our taste for the truly foreign?
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and in no way represent the views or opinions of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This section is moderated by Wilson Quarterly staff.
1 hour
Dear Mr White, As somewhat of a Lincoln buff,I find myself absorbed in the possibilities for the last hour. This is truly a very fine piece .Thanks so much.
Posted by: Edward Gorcica | 2/3/09
wat is this website about of obama
Posted by: sherika | 4/22/10
wow
that touch my heart
Posted by: tierra | 10/28/10
wow
wow Barack Obama i may be 14 but you truely ar ethe best! keep working hard...
Posted by: Rena | 3/15/11
barack obama Iam only 10 years old but I think your the best man in the country. You are a true leader to me
Posted by: ria | 3/29/11
that was great
Posted by: Alex leer | 4/15/11
Money
What is the Physiological need in money if all we are going to do is waste it (as is what most politicians do) then what is the point. If we cant do anything for ourselves then apparently the need for a president and/or a president like Barack Obama is very apparent. We finally found a president that would and could actually do something and is not in it for all the money.
Posted by: Alex Patterson | 2/8/12
what would lincoln tell you if he told you how to improve this economy...?
Posted by: Dess | 2/1/13