Coincidence? I doubt it.

posted by Curt, on November 17, 2008 09:49 am

I'm not the only one who has noticed how Obama's recent actions seem to be mimicking Lincoln's (as described by Doris Kearns-Goodwin in her bestseller Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln).

Jacob Heilbrunn: Obama's Team of Rivals

Obama's 'Team of Rivals' Approach Could Mirror That of Abraham Lincoln

Obama may keep rivals close -- chicagotribune.com

And so I doubt it is a coincidence that Team of Rivals has returned to the Amazon.com bestseller list, weighing in all the way up there at #12.

Let's hope Obama has read Kearns-Goodwin's book carefully. Because, if he has, he'll realize that assembling the Team of Rivals is the easiest part of such an approach. The key to the success of Lincoln's cabinet (and also the secret to his "political genius") was his ability to make it work. Can Obama do the same? It's obvious that he's trying.

And he should get credit for that.

Add New Comment

Your Name:
Your Comment:

Security Code: