Re: One Man Against the World

[Kevin S. Van Horn]

I've been reading DiLorenzo's book, _The Real Lincoln_, and this 
description is a pretty close fit to Abraham Lincoln, too.

Eric Cordian wrote:

--- A great, civilized nation democratically elected a fanatic demagogue, who preached war. Actually, he did not really receive the majority of votes, but, somehow, his ascent to power was arranged nevertheless.

Lincoln only got 40% of the popular vote.  At the time he was elected, 
it was generally assumed, and had been since the founding, that 
secession was a fundamental right of the states.  The idea that the 
Federal Government could go to war to prevent states from leaving the 
union was unheard of.

--- Soon after assuming power, he manipulated a dramatic incident in order to tighten his grip upon the country

Fort Sumter.

and prepare for attack on smaller nations.

Such as the Confederacy and various Amerind nations.

An immense propaganda machine turned "enemies" into devils, the
incarnation of evil.
An important part of Lincoln's propaganda machine was simply to imprison 
anyone who criticized him.  He imprisoned any newspaper editor who had 
the gall to criticize him.  Other newspapers he put out of business by 
instructing the Post Office not to deliver their publications (mail was 
the most common means of receiving the paper at the time).  He had a 
Congressman arrested and deported for criticizing the war.  He arrested 
a large portion of the Maryland legislature to prevent a debate on 
whether or not Maryland should support the war.

--- The call for war enabled him to unite the whole people behind him, to silence all opposition, gradually abridge human rights,

See above. Also, Lincoln illegally suspended the right of habeas corpus. 
(The Constitution allows its suspension in times of insurrection, but 
universal legal opinion of the day was that this required an act of 
Congress.)

overcome the economic crisis and embark upon a voyage towards world dominion.

The departure of the Southern states, which paid something like 80% of 
the expenses of the Federal Government, was indeed a great economic 
crisis for the Federal Government.  DiLorenzo also argues that Lincoln's 
conquest of the south was the beginning of U.S. imperialism.

--- He loved being photographed in uniform, walking along lines of
soldiers, pretending to be a great military leader ---
It's well-known that Lincoln micromanaged the war.

I mean, of course, Adolf Hitler.