What Would Abe Do?

Abraham Lincoln, that is. As I write this the president-elect is making his Lincoln throwback train trip. There will be lots of comparisons to Lincoln, for right or wrong, during this whole inauguration festival.

Last night, while waiting in the lounge area at Macy's for the wife to shop, I caught part of "Larry King is Still Alive" on CNN and he was doing a panel discussion with CNN reporter John King, David Gergen, and Washington Post reporter Chris Cillizza. They were discussing the whole Lincoln thing and Larry asks "What would Lincoln think about the inauguration of Obama"?

The reporters, obviously in awe of this whole thing, waxed poetically about how moved Lincoln would be and all that stuff. I, however, had a very different reaction.

I think Lincoln would have been embarrassed and ashamed that it took America 143 years after his passing to elect a black president, and I'm sure he'd be appalled that these many years later the civil rights "leaders" of this country are still bound and determined to split this country along racial lines. I would imagine that Lincoln would have thought that much more progress on race would have been made long ago.

Lincoln would toss Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton right out on their butts if they came to him with the demands they still make today. He'd be shocked that these two charlatans are allowed to speak for black America. Jackson and Sharpton exist for one reason - to extort money from guilty white liberals or scared corporate titans.

I'm sure Lincoln would be proud to know that his efforts to free the slaves and unite the country eventually resulted in a black president, but I can't believe he'd be thrilled that it took so long. And he certainly wouldn't be thrilled with the state of civil rights activism in America today.