Obama's Lincoln

Lee Siegel at the Wall Street Journal takes an alternate view of the Obama - Lincoln parallel. The main argument is that such a parallel should be taken as less than "soothing" by the public. Lincoln was, after all, consumed by war and oversaw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Siegel also mentions Lincoln's view of himself as an agent of historical destiny and a "towering genius," and suggests Obama sees his own path and intellect in a similar light.

While Siegel makes a valid point about the complexities of Lincoln, I fail to see the problem. Obama is a politician, a strange breed of citizen. People who seek the presidency have to have some measure of arrogance and confidence in their own intellectual and leadership abilities. That Obama possesses these beliefs is not surprising, nor does it detract from his potential. Obama will prove that he is more than capable of leading our nation. The change he brings is a change from ideology to pragmatism, a change from a team of yes-men to a team of rivals.