George W. Bush has a Lincoln 'Problem'

New Lincoln Museum opens in Springfield.

President Bush attended the opening of the new Abraham Lincoln Museum today. He had this to say about his admiration for President Lincoln:

"When his life was taken, Abraham Lincoln assumed a greater role in the story of America than man or president," he said. "Every generation has looked up to him as the Great Emancipator, the hero of unity and martyr of freedom."

He added: "To understand the life and the sacrifice of Abraham Lincoln is to understand the meaning and promise of America."

In fact, in dealing with Iraq, President Bush has made some explanations that are diametrically opposed to what President Lincoln had to say about pre-emptive war! President Bush, during the 2004 campaign, explained why attacking Iraq was necessary:

"After September 11, our object in the war on terror is not to wait for the next attack and respond, but to prevent attacks by taking the fight to the enemy," he said.

"Tyrants and terrorists will not give us polite notice before they launch an attack on our country. I refuse to stand by while dangers gather."

But what would Lincoln have to say about President George W. Bush? Mario Cuomo wrote about President Lincoln and his views on pre-emptive war. In a recent story, Cuomo quoted Lincoln:

Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after you have given him so much as you propose. If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us" but he will say to you "be silent; I see it, if you don't."

Cuomo, a Lincoln scholar doesn't think that Lincoln would approve of the Bush Administration. He stated:

"He would have fought the war in Afghanistan" rather than diverting the Afghan resources into Iraq. He would have urged President Bush to continue, at least for a while longer, the diplomacy needed to create a coalition with the United Nations to convince Saddam to remove himself from power. And he would never agree with a domestic tax cut that benefits only the top 2 percent of Americans.

But this isn't the first time that this President has tried to tie his name to our nations's 16th President.


Picture of President Bush on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in front of the "Mission Accomplished" banner.

On May 1st 2003, President Bush made his now famous landing on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln to announce the "end of hostilities". He stated:

Thank you. Thank you all very much.

Admiral Kelly, Captain Card (ph), officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

(APPLAUSE)

We all know that was another of his blunders. In fact at that time only 137 American deaths had been reported in Iraq.

Since the "Mission Accomplished" travesty, as of April 18, 2005, there have been 1,422 American deaths. Major combat operations are not over.

And, in fact, the Iraq conflict is degenerating into a Civil War. A war between Sunni, Shiite, and Kurds. This Civil War that we are involving ourselves in is tearing our nation apart as well.

Portrait of President Lincoln.

Once again, the words of Lincoln are pertinent: As Lincoln stated, in his now famous Gettysburg Address:

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.

That is the challenge for America! We truly are involved in a Civil War...in Iraq! and it isn't our own! We start pre-emptive war on false pretenses, as the President first explained:

The threat comes from Iraq. It arises directly from the Iraqi regime's own actions -- its history of aggression, and its drive toward an arsenal of terror. Eleven years ago, as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf War, the Iraqi regime was required to destroy its weapons of mass destruction, to cease all development of such weapons, and to stop all support for terrorist groups. The Iraqi regime has violated all of those obligations. It possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. It has given shelter and support to terrorism, and practices terror against its own people. The entire world has witnessed Iraq's eleven-year history of defiance, deception and bad faith.

But no WMD's were found! Instead this Administration's explanation continued to evolve and spin our foreign policy into one of expanding the "March of Freedom".

Can we endure? President Bush fails to understand the 'meaning and promise of America!'

John Kerry, America is calling to you! Help us restore honesty, decency, respect, and wisdom in our Nation! We can do better together!

Bob