Obama: What I see in Lincoln's Eyes

[peoli]

"My favorite portrait of Lincoln comes from the end of his life. In it, Lincoln's face is as finely lined as a pressed flower. He appears frail, almost broken; his eyes, averted from the camera's lens, seem to contain a heartbreaking melancholy, as if he sees before him what the nation had so recently endured.

It would be a sorrowful picture except for the fact that Lincoln's mouth is turned ever so slightly into a smile. The smile doesn't negate the sorrow. But it alters tragedy into grace. It's as if this rough-faced, aging man has cast his gaze toward eternity and yet still cherishes his memories--of an imperfect world and its fleeting, sometimes terrible beauty. On trying days, the portrait, a reproduction of which hangs in my office, soothes me; it always asks me questions.

What is it about this man that can move us so profoundly? Some of it has to do with Lincoln's humble beginnings, which often speak to our own. When I moved to Illinois 20 years ago to work as a community organizer, I had no money in my pockets and didn't know a single soul. During my first six years in the state legislature, Democrats were in the minority, and I couldn't get a bill heard, much less passed. In my first race for Congress, I had my head handed to me. So when I, a black man with a funny name, born in Hawaii of a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, it was hard to imagine a less likely scenario than that I would win--except, perhaps, for the one that allowed a child born in the backwoods of Kentucky with less than a year of formal education to end up as Illinois' greatest citizen and our nation's greatest President.

In Lincoln's rise from poverty, his ultimate mastery of language and law, his capacity to overcome personal loss and remain determined in the face of repeated defeat--in all this, he reminded me not just of my own struggles. He also reminded me of a larger, fundamental element of American life--the enduring belief that we can constantly remake ourselves to fit our larger dreams."

rest of article....http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1077287,00.html

[AzDar]

1. I am beginning to creep myself out with how much I LIKE this man...it's so unlike my cynical, jaded,

suspicious self.

Feels kinda good....

:thumbsup:

[Cha]

28. You're not

alone. :grouphug: B-)

[lapfog_1]

2. OMG!!! He is PRAISING another Republican President!!

:sarcasm:

[ClassWarrior]

3. Yes, and the portrait asks him questions.

What a scary, arrogant man.

:sarcasm:

NGU.

[caledesi]

4. Lincoln is Obama's fav...bec of how simiar they are.

Young from IL

Inexperienced

Tall and lanky

WON!

[undeterred]

5. Lincoln is my favorite too.

Hence my signature.

[PassingFair]

7. Lincoln was always my favorite President....

but I switched to TJ about a year ago.

I'm fickle, I guess.

(Lincoln is now No. 2)

[intaglio]

6. What a wonderul turn of phrase

"... as finely lined as a pressed flower,"

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. Does he think he's Lincoln?

He missed the part where he actually has to do something great to be great.

[peoli]

9. he is the reincarnation of lincoln

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. That's about the weirdest thing I've heard in years, & I've heard

some weird.

[peoli]

23. your first step is to believe in the truth of reincarnation....

if you dont believe in reincarnation then we really dont have anything else to discuss.

[The_Casual_Observer]

26. Your first step ought to be to the psychiatrist's office couch.

[peoli]

33. For believing something intrinsic to major religions of the world?

[Faygo Kid]

16. He speaks of hope, and he says "yes, we can." And he does it well.

"Just words?"

Lincoln knew the power of words. So does Obama.

Can't wait for him to be president at the rededication of the Lincoln Memorial on the Bicentennial of Abe's birth, February 2009.

[peoli]

20. woot! great photo!

[Benhurst]

10. He and Lincoln went to the same prep school and graduated from the same

Ivy League colleges.

[Two Americas]

13. yeah

Born in the same log cabin, too. It is amazing isn't it?

[cali]

18. Obama attended Punahoa on scholarship, and

paid for his education at Columbia and Harvard with student loans.

[Two Americas]

27. didn't know that

I thought Obama split rails to make tuition money.

[QC]

32. Lincoln was born in a log cabin and Obama in a manger! n/t

[Jane Austin]

11. What part of aspiring to be like Lincoln

don't you understand?

Is Obama not allowed any heroes?

[The_Casual_Observer]

12. He's was poor man from Illinois, I'm a poor man from Illinois....

& the reply "He's the reincarnation of Lincoln". This obama thing is very very weird.

[Two Americas]

15. all sorts of parallels

I think Lincoln's secretary was named "Barack," and Obama once owned a Lincoln. Both of them have wives and children, too. What are the odds of that happening?

[The_Casual_Observer]

19. The secretary was Kennedy, the pet turkey was named obama.

[Jane Austin]

17. The reply you cite

has nothing to do with either Obama or Lincoln, but with the commenter's opinion.

It's interesting to me what some people find weird.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

22. Does Hillary think she's Susan B. Anthony?

[bhikkhu]

21. K&R - great article

Thanks

[anamnua]

24. An appropriate Lincoln quote for Obama

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. ...

[boppers]

25. Appropriate quote.

Good to remember when facing off against a candidate who brought peace to Ireland and dodged sniper fire in Bosnia.

[anamnua]

29. I *am* Irish and resident in Ireland

and I can tell you that she did play a significant part in bringing peace here. That is why I have become so emotionally engaged with her campaign.

[quantass]

30. Great read!

[DeepModem Mom]

31. K&R

[madrchsod]

34. obama and lincoln

both >moved to illinois<. both have the same experience in illinois politics.both were/are lawyers.

hillary and reagan

both were >born in illinois<. reagan was a democratic then became a republican.hillary was a republican that became a democrat? reagan had more political experience than hillary. reagan has 8 years as president..

i like trival bullshit about these 4 from illinois

[SunsetDreams]

35. Thank you for posting!

I had not read this, I enjoyed the read very much!