--- Dan Minette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > If any of the > other Republicans won, it > would be hard to see how the US would have emerged > as a major world player. > Is that a fair assessment? > > Dan M.
I believe that it is, yes. I think that if anyone else had won the election, the South would have won the war, and the US would have splintered - Lincoln probably believed (and I do as well) that the Midwest would eventually have gone independent, and the West as well. I think you're exactly right - the survival of government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" was a product of the historical accident of electing Abraham Lincoln. And let's not say that _anyone_ knew in advance that Lincoln would turn out to be what he turned out to be. In retrospect we can look at Lincoln's life and see the precursors of greatness before the Presidency, but at the time nominating him when there were far more qualified candidates (Seward, most strikingly, but Chase as well) was an act of extraordinary irresponsibility by the Republican party. Yet, judging by their performance during the war itself, there is no doubt in my mind that had Seward or Chase been President of the United States, the North would have lost the war in short order. ===== Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Freedom is not free" http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Get better spam protection with Yahoo! Mail. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
