Was Abraham Lincoln a Great President?

When asked, most Americans would say that Washington (for defeating a superior army of British troops) and Lincoln (for defeating the South in the Civil War) are our greatest presidents.

Beg to differ slightly regarding the latter.

Everyone saw the clouds of war brewing on the horizon. When he decided to take our nation to war, he knew that the ground would run red with the blood of American citizens. He knew that he was pitting father against son, brother against brother, friend against friend, and neighbor against neighbor.

At the last minute, the South offered Lincoln a compromise: within 2 generations, slavery would simply disappear. In samurai terms, this would be considered to be a brilliant victory: accomplishing your goal without shedding a single drop of blood.

This was not the course that Lincoln chose. The result: more Americans died than in all other wars combined, before and since.

Malice Toward None

The reason for expressing this admittedly unpopular opinion is the publication of a fabulous new book by Jack Levin, father of the sometimes incendiary talk show host Mark. The subject is Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

It is a brief speech, and here is the last paragraph (the full text is easily available):

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

I now know that Lincoln's heart rang true with what he believed to be good and just.

Do I forgive Lincoln?

Almost.