Lincoln Poll in USA TODAY

[J. Beckert]

Lincoln had a task before him no other President had faced before or has since. States were seceding before he took his oath. The country was deeply divided and coming apart rapidly. We were at war with ourselves.
His intellect, compassion and strong ethics made him the right man at the right time, in my opinion. Derided in his own time as trampling the Constitution, I feel in tough times, tough measures were necessary. We have enemies now that want to kill us all. I personally think in times like this, the Writ of Habeas Corpus can be put to the side.
I'm sure his assassination vaulted him to matyrdom, but his accomplishments before that can not be overlooked. His wisdom in choosing his cabinet, the men who assisted him in this monumental task, shows what an astute judge of character he was. As I pointed out earlier - the right man at the right time.