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Obama's Obsession With Lincoln Risks Overshadowing Inauguration

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By SEAN MUSSENDEN

Media General News Service

Published: December 28, 2008

Next month, Barack Obama will catch a train in Philadelphia and trace the route Abraham Lincoln followed to Washington for his inauguration.

When the president-elect arrives, after a welcome ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, he will be sworn in as the 44th president with his hand on the same Bible that Lincoln used at his inauguration. He'll also give a speech expected to draw on the words and ideas of the 16th president.

One of the inaugural themes: "A New Birth of Freedom" - a line from the Gettysburg Address.

Here's hoping Obama doesn't show up in a stovepipe hat. Relying so heavily on the words and legacy of a past president risks clouding the inauguration of one of the freshest, original figures in American history.

From the beginning of his historic campaign to the end, Obama and many of his supporters exhibited something stronger than a fetish for Lincoln.

In 2007, Obama launched his bid for the presidency on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., where Lincoln once served, with a speech that drew heavily on Lincoln's personal story and deeds.

"As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: 'Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through.' That is our purpose here today. That's why I'm in this race. Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation," he said.

At the end, in his Election Day victory speech, he made overtures to defeated Republicans with a quote from Lincoln.

"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies, but friends ... though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."

The Lincoln-Obama connections are natural, even too easy to make.

Both got their start in politics in Illinois and had somewhat speedy rises to the presidency.

Lincoln, like Obama, was a gifted writer who could stir listeners to action with words.

Both men entered the presidency at particularly challenging times for the nation. And Lincoln's freeing of the slaves sparked a long chain of events that allowed for the eventual election of Obama, the nation's first African-American president.

Nor is it unusual for inaugurations to draw heavily on history.

The pomp, parties and the parade celebrate the ritual, centuries-old peaceful transition of power as much as they celebrate the individual entering the White House.

The excessive Lincoln allusions this year, though, pose a risk for our next president. The co-mingling of Obama's image with Lincoln's unnecessarily distracts from what makes Obama unique at a time when he must define himself as a leader.

The Lincoln-Obama comparisons have sparked far too much distracting punditry during the last few weeks.

When he selected former foe Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, virtually every cable talking head put the selection in the context of Lincoln's "team of rivals" cabinet.

The comparisons also have the unfortunate effect of setting Obama's bar for success extremely high. Lincoln is widely acknowledged as one of our greatest presidents.

While Obama has the potential to become a transformational figure like Lincoln, it's important to remember at this point that it's just that - potential.

There are appropriate times for comparison of presidents with their predecessors - at the end of their tenure and for years after, not the beginning.

We see that happening now as President Bush and his critics review his legacy.

With record low approval ratings and a tanking economy, no one compares Bush favorably with Lincoln. His many critics call him one of the worst presidents in history. Bush, for his part, sees himself as a reincarnation of Harry Truman - an unpopular president in his day whose image improved with the passage of time.

There will be plenty of time to compare Obama with other presidents - whether Lincoln or others. But let's save those comparisons for another day.

Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668.

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