Beautifully written James. I have always admired Lincoln, who, despite the mean spirited, should be lauded for accomplishing more than the politics of his day should have allowed.
I was not surprised when the issue of right to secede came up, and this too, is where I am ambivalent. It is true that slavery would not have ended if the right to secession had been upheld, at least not immediately. But, Objectivists and libertarians can not help but ponder any use of force even in support of lofty goals. Would America have been a great and benevolent force in the world if the South had successfully seceded? I don't know.
After this, by the same logic, how can we exclude “woman” from the universal concept meant by the word “men” in the Declaration? How can you exclude any subset of people? You can say that it is logical to take away the rights of a man who violates another man’s rights, but how can you say all people have rights except those who choose voluntarily to sleep with their own gender? Lincoln’s bloody surgery on the Constitution is leading to an ongoing, tortured healing of the whole body politic.
As with blacks and women, I believe the question of homosexuality should have its own amendment and be enshrined in the Constitution.
I know some will scream at his Medicare prescription drugs benefit as proof he isn’t doing this, but politics is the art of the possible, and he felt that the 700 billion price tag would be half of the democratic alternative. Whether he was right or not, after Social Security reform loom the much worse problems of real tax reform and Medicare. The dismantling of the welfare state will not be easy.
I also share your enthusiasm for George Bush. Why does it takes years for most people to appreciate a president? The facts are before them. I think you missed a chance, when talking about Medicare, to mention that Bush also insisted upon competitive pricing in the private sector, rather that the Democrat preference for government price fixing. Cleverly hidden within that move is the inevitable destruction of Medicare. He is making a similar 'assault' on Social Security. My blessing upon him.
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